RPF saved 214 lives in last 3 years on railway premises: Officials

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) since 2017 has saved 214 lives, with the security force saving 47 lives in the first three months of this year, officials said Friday.

On April 22, RPF Constable Jagbir Singh Rana was killed while saving three children and a woman from going under the train in Delhi.

Similarly on February 8, ASI Gajendra Singh saved 72-year-old Jagdish Premchand Shah after he slipped and fell into the gap between the train and a platform while trying to board the train at Surat Railway Station.

During the years 2017, 2018 & 2019 (up to March), the RPF saved lives of 98, 69 and 47 people, respectively.

According to a senior official of the railways, the RPF serves 23 million passengers daily, apart from guarding railway assets spread across the country.

"The force faces diverse security challenges such as crime against railway properties and passengers, extremist violence, obstruction to train movement due to political agitations, flash protests by daily commuters, rescuing missing children and seizing narcotics on trains and railway premises," the official said.

"They save the lives of passengers who are sometimes negligent, sometimes face danger while boarding running trains. The RPF is vigilant and in most cases, saves the lives of passengers," he added.