Rajnath wants online FIR facility for railway passengers

New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday urged the railways to explore the possibility of registering FIRs online to expedite the process of investigation.

Speaking at an All India Conference on Railway Security here, Singh said the objective of the event is very significant as it gives an opportunity to identify and review the security preparedness of railway security apparatus and also how the forces can serve the passengers better.

"We need to explore the system of lodging online FIRs which will expedite investigation and help better control crimes," he said.

He further said that trains pass through areas affected by Maoism and insurgency, and therefore, the para-military forces need to have area-specific standard operating procedures to meet these challenges.

Singh also called upon the participants to think over points like regular patrolling, improvement in frisking process and alerts in emergency situations.

He assured full support of the Ministry of Home Affairs in enhancing security of passengers travelling by the Indian Railways.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal complimented the paramilitary forces for their bravery and courage by serving the country in all conditions.

Goyal stressed the need to build confidence of the train passengers and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) being friendlier to passengers.

He also complimented women squads for doing exceptional work.

Goyal said: "Over 6,000 CCTVs at stations are being procured and cyber crime cells are being made functional."

Modernisation and leveraging technology in the RPF are some of the focus areas, he added.