Chennai: Security in and around city railway stations was intensified after Intelligence Bureau (IB) alerted Southern Railway to be on vigil to thwart any untoward incidents with Republic Day celebrations.
“We have received an alert from the intelligence inputs to be on high alert. Every year we do deploy forces during the occasion, but this time around we have been asked to be extra vigilant as the alert was given a week ago,” said a senior official at RPF, Southern Railway.
Nearly 500 extra security forces from Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP) have been employed on Sunday and Monday at all major railway stations in the Chennai division including the suburban and MRTS stations. Central Railway station that attracts a footfall of 1.3 lakh people saw a large deployment of forces from early morning with security personnel frisking all passengers and checking all vehicles that entered the station premises.
Also, 30 extra security personnel were deployed in stations like Beach, Tambaram, Park and Egmore station that attracts a footfall of nearly 1 lakh daily.
Three dog squads were employed at Central, Egmore and Beach station on Monday with security officials frisking passengers with metal detectors at all the six entry points at Central Station.
