6 special trains arranged to bring 10k CAPF personnel for Delhi protest | India News

The ministry of railways had to arrange at least six special trains at short notice to bring nearly 10,000 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel to the national Capital for security preparations ahead of the October 10 protests, officials aware of the matter said, adding that railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and senior ministry officials held a nearly three-hour meeting with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Thursday evening to discuss train arrangements, including cancellations and diversions. One train carrying CAPF troops reached Delhi on Friday afternoon while another will arrive tonight, they added.“The meeting was related to the arrangement, the cancellation/diversion of trains in the backdrop of the protests. 6 special trains have already been sent. Depending on the law and order situation, the ministry may make another request in the coming days,” a railways officer, who asked not to be named, said.According to an October 6 letter seen by HT, the home ministry approved at least 110 additional CAPF companies and wrote to the Railway Board director requesting special trains and extra coaches to bring them from different states.Also Read | Public safety, past lapses: Why Delhi Police denied CJP permission for Jantar Mantar protest The deployment of more than 26,000 personnel from CAPFs, working alongside the Delhi Police to manage the protests, is the largest in Delhi since the February 2020 assembly elections, the visit of US President Donald Trump and the Delhi riots—all of which occurred in the same month.Officials said the 110 additional companies are from all forces – CRPF, BSF, SSB, ITBP and CISF. Most of them are coming from Jammu and Kashmir(J&K), West Bengal and Chhattisgarh, adding to the 111 companies already deployed in Delhi. Each CAPF company has a sanctioned strength of 120-130 personnel, of whom around 75-80 are generally deployed. Together, the 221 companies will work alongside the Delhi Police.Also Read | 'Identify other place for protests': Supreme Court calls for alternative to Jantar Mantar in Delhi“Unlike elections in West Bengal, when the CRPF had taken their mine-protected anti-riot vehicles, they are not bringing the vehicles this time. The vehicles are effective, but having them in the national Capital will be bad for optics. It was a last-minute directive from the force headquarters to come to Delhi. A large section of troops who were in interior areas of Bastar are yet to reach Delhi because the orders were issued at short notice. Some of them take at least 8-10 hours just to reach the nearest railway station. But they will all be in Delhi by the morning of October 10,” a CRPF officer, who asked not to be named, said.Meanwhile, people in the aviation sector said that the CISF also sought passenger details from airlines for select flights to Delhi on Friday and Saturday. Senior police officers, who asked not to be named, said Thursday evening that police would stop some people arriving in Delhi by air who planned to drive towards Jantar Mantar. The officer said no group has been allowed to assemble in Jantar Mantar because prohibitory orders are in place across the New Delhi district.To be sure, CAPF troops during elections or arrangements such as Amarnath Yatra are always moved in special trains, but the request is sent months in advance, giving time for the troops to prepare their local conveyance and railways for the trains.Also Read | ECI fortified, 254 trains cancelled, metro affected, internet shut: Delhi braces for CJP's October 10 protest against CEC Gyanesh KumarIn the run-up to October 10, the Indian Railways have cancelled multiple trains en route to Delhi, citing “intelligence inputs and traffic advisory” which indicate severe road congestion around New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway station. At least 75 Mail/ Express trains (40+35) and 179 local trains (short distance like Delhi Ghaziabad, Delhi- Meerut, Delhi- Panipat, Delhi- Kurukshetra) cancelled between 4am and 2pm on Saturday. Delhi police also took details of passengers who had booked tickets to Delhi to take part in the protests. At least 14 trains that were set to arrive in Delhi on Friday night and Saturday have been cancelled. Different student groups on social media shared videos of them being deboarded while en route to Delhi for the protests. Delhi police have tracked passenger records and shared it with their counterparts.“It is possible that the extra forces will be deployed to places outside airports and railway stations if the protesters stop traffic when they are stopped from moving towards New Delhi. While prohibitory orders are enforced across New Delhi, the deployment of forces will also be outside railway stations, borders, etc,” a senior police officer said.