States oppose stronger Railway Protection Force

Having effectively stalled the launch of a National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), the opposition-ruled states of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Odisha have now raised similar objections to the proposed amendment to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) Act.

Chief ministers J Jayalalithaa of Tamil Nadu and Naveen Patnaik of Odisha have shot off letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking him to instruct the railway ministry not to proceed with the amendment, which would give the RPF police powers.

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi had earlier written a similar letter to the prime minister.

The main ground of their objection is the same as for the NCTC – they insist that the move infringes on the rights of the states, as the RPF would be centrally controlled under the railway ministry.

Many observers are aghast at states opposing these important Acts on territorial concerns even as the RPF needs to be given more teeth given the increasing incidence of crimes on railways.

Narendra Modi's cynicism is particularly noticeable, as a stronger RPF could have prevented the train-burning incident at Godhra, which led to the 2002 anti-Muslim riots in the state, said one observer.