Mumbai railway police to manually search commuter bags after local train murder
Following the tragic murder of a 21-year-old passenger on a local train, the Government Railway Police (GRP) has announced plans to intensify manual checks of commuter bags across the Mumbai suburban railway network, including at major termini like Mumbai Central and CSMT.
The security measure aims to prevent passengers from carrying weapons and other prohibited items onto the city's busy transit system.
The decision was prompted by an incident late Tuesday, when Mayank Lohar, a 21-year-old commuter, was knifed to death inside a local train compartment. According to authorities, Lohar was attacked by a co-traveller, identified as Roshan Suvarna, following a sudden altercation. The dispute reportedly began over closing the door of the train compartment during a period of heavy rain. Suvarna, who was carrying a knife hidden inside his bag, used the weapon to fatally attack Lohar.
In the aftermath of the killing, GRP officials moved to tighten security protocols. A senior GRP official confirmed that following a proposal submitted to the Railways, additional baggage scanners have already been set up at major railway termini, including Mumbai Central and CSMT. These large scanners are designated for examining heavy luggage such as suitcases and trolley bags.
However, railway authorities acknowledged the logistical challenges of managing commuter rush on the suburban network. GRP officials noted that it is not practically possible to route every commuter through baggage scanners at busy suburban stations for smaller items like backpacks and handbags.
To bridge this security gap, the GRP will implement intensified manual checks specifically targeting smaller bags and backpacks. These physical inspections will be strictly governed by a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that was first introduced last year.
According to the SOP guidelines, any manual baggage search must be conducted in the direct presence of a GRP officer. Additionally, the procedures mandate that all such checks must take place within the active range of railway station CCTV surveillance cameras to ensure safety and proper oversight.
