WB: RPF tightens security at New Jalpaiguri Station amid Pahalgam attack fallout

Jalpaiguri (West Bengal) [India], May 4 (ANI): The Railway Protection Force (RPF) at West Bengal's New Jalpaiguri Railway Station has ramped up security measures following the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's (J-K) Pahalgam and rising regional tensions, including developments in Bangladesh.
Officials said the RPF is conducting intensified surveillance, including regular platform and track inspections, round-the-clock joint patrolling, and deployment of dog squads and Bomb Detection Squads (BDS), to ensure passenger safety.
"New Jalpaiguri is a major railway station and a popular tourist destination, attracting a large number of passengers. We are conducting joint track patrolling and continuous station checks. Announcements are being made regularly, and dog squads and BDS are deployed to maintain security," said Mukesh Kumar Rajak, an RPF Post Commander at New Jalpaiguri Junction.
He added that the RPF is maintaining high vigilance and taking swift action against any suspicious activity. "If any suspicious individual is spotted, we conduct thorough verification, and if any illegality is found, the concerned agency takes legal action," he said.
The station, located near Siliguri in Jalpaiguri district, serves as a key transit hub in North Bengal.
The alert follows concerns triggered by certain remarks reportedly made by a senior Bangladeshi official amid the growing India-Pakistan tensions after the Pahalgam incident.
In a broader move to bolster border-area security, the RPF of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), in coordination with the Government Railway Police (GRP) and Border Security Force (BSF), recently conducted joint patrolling in sensitive zones near the India-Bangladesh border.
Officials stated that these operations aimed to enhance surveillance and deter any untoward incidents along railway tracks that run close to international boundaries.
"The joint patrolling was carried out across various divisions under Northeast Frontier Railway, with a special focus on sectors adjoining the India-Bangladesh border. The collaborative efforts were undertaken with a spirit of inter-agency coordination and vigilance," Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northeast Frontier Railway, said.
The CPRO of Northeast Frontier Railway further said that a major part of the initiative included a comprehensive security check at Assam's Badarpur railway station in the Lumding Division. (ANI)