It is 5:30 PM. Several people, many of them women, with bags slung over shoulders, sprint across traffic and dive into northbound trains seconds before departure at Thiruvananthapuram Central station. These daily commuters risk packed platforms, overcrowded coaches, footboard travel, drunk passengers, and now, stone pelting.
Rising Incidents of Stone Pelting and Harassment
Increasing incidents of stone pelting at trains, including the premium Vande Bharat Express, and passenger harassment show that the railways are struggling to ensure passenger security in a sustained manner, despite repeated claims of deploying Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel and installing CCTVs.
In recent incidents, a six-year-old girl sleeping alongside her parents on the floor of a general compartment of the Palaruvi Express was taken to another coach and sexually assaulted by a Kollam native in Thenmala last Thursday. A woman was severely injured in the face in March after stones were thrown at the Executive Express in Kannur. In April, a man standing at the door of a train was pulled down and robbed at Aluva station. In November 2025, a 19-year-old girl was seriously injured after a drunk man kicked her out of a general coach on the Kerala Express.
Though it is easier to crack down on crimes against passengers in trains and at stations, the railways are largely at a loss when it comes to stone pelting, even though the force has managed to arrest many culprits. In 2025-26, 40 stone-pelting incidents were reported in the Thiruvananthapuram division, out of which 17 resulted in damage to trains and eight caused injuries to passengers. Thirty-two offenders — 14 adults and 18 juveniles — were apprehended in connection with them.
Knee-Jerk Reactions
There is often only a knee-jerk reaction every time a serious incident occurs. The RPF resorted to widespread breath analyzer tests on passengers soon after the girl was kicked out by a drunk passenger, but the test was discontinued. Similarly, railways started patrolling vulnerable stretches and launched awareness campaigns in neighborhoods close to tracks where stone pelting was reported. However, passenger associations say that the outreach may not last long.
Loco pilots say that stone-pelting incidents come to light when passengers are affected. Though the number of incidents is higher and riskier to passengers, the railways have yet to come out with a concrete plan to prevent them.
Vande Bharat Trains as Prime Targets
Vande Bharat trains are the main targets. Their windowpanes are shattered frequently on all three trains operating in Kerala. Senior consultant psychiatrist Dr. C. J. John said: "A component of jealousy and anger is the reason to target premium trains like Vande Bharat. It is like the tendency to make scratch marks on high-end cars in parking lots." He added that these individuals are unhappy that travelers are moving in premium comfort, but they do not realize that the money paid by these passengers contributes to the overall improvement of other trains and services. Vande Bharat trains plying in Kerala reportedly boast some of the highest occupancy rates in the country, often exceeding 170-180%. There is also a tendency to do mischief for fun or because it is not permitted, he said.
Probably because of this sentiment, Vande Bharat trains are the most targeted by stones across the country. In reply to a question in Lok Sabha in 2023, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that railways incurred a loss of more than Rs 55 lakh due to stone pelting at Vande Bharat trains across the country since 2019.
Inadequate RPF Strength
As roads are congested due to high vehicle density and sluggish road widening work, many people depend on trains to commute. It is estimated that approximately more than 3 lakh people travel by trains every day across Kerala. But RPF strength for the state is less than 800, which is woefully inadequate to manage a periodic surge in passenger traffic during festivals, holidays, and long weekends. Vacancies are filled, but there is no move to increase the strength to match the passenger surge. Rules state that there should be one RPF personnel for every 300 passengers, which means there should be more than 1,000 RPF on duty every day.
Dakshin Railway Employees Union central vice-president B. Susobhanan said: "There is a more than 10% increase in passenger traffic. We are seeing unusual crowds at major railway stations such as Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam, like we used to see in metro city stations. Platforms fill up fast daily, and stations do not have the capacity to handle the crowd. Railways is not equipped to handle this."
Overcrowding and Safety Risks
Track congestion and rake shortage prevent railways from operating more trains. Consequently, swelling crowds pose another risk for passengers because many, including families, try to board reserved coaches since it is impossible to get into unreserved coaches. Railways face a dilemma of how to remove them. "Most of the trains are at night, and if the ticket checker follows rules, then families will get stranded at some small wayside station. That is a risk," said an official.
As crowd control at stations becomes increasingly important, RPF is unable to spare staff to travel on trains and patrol stretches where stone throwing has been reported. Moreover, only major stations have an RPF presence, even though smaller stations also attract passengers because the state is largely an urban sprawl.
Fewer People on Ground
Sources said that incidents impacting passenger security happen because railways reduced the number of people on the ground — maintenance staff who used to be present every 3 km, ticket checkers at stations, and TTEs on trains. An official said that fencing along the tracks will come up when speed is increased to 130-180 kmph, and there will be CCTVs at all stations and in trains. However, it may take time to bring in access control like in metro stations, but it may be tried out when redeveloped stations are ready.
A loco pilot who has seen his colleagues face stone pelting said that awareness would act as a deterrent and patrolling would instill fear. "There are many near-miss cases showing that more trains are targeted. Arrests are being made, but that is not enough. Often people do not know it could lead to death." He said that people who sit and drink near tracks at night and those who want to create mischief throw stones at trains because it is difficult to find them as the trackside is largely unmonitored.
Passenger Associations' Demands
Krishna Kumar P. of Thrissur Railway Passengers Association said that "the railways should educate people about the dangers of stone pelting and should introduce automatic doors. Many people travel standing near the door because the coaches are crowded and it is hot and sultry during summer. All passenger trains should be upgraded to 16-car MEMU services. Introduce AC chair cars and add the maximum feasible number of coaches to existing trains. Even with highway work completed in the north, people prefer trains for their comfort and convenience. Railways should accelerate track doubling and signal modernization to run more trains."
Women's Safety Concerns
Kavya M., a frequent traveler, said that women's safety is a concern due to fewer trains and overcrowded coaches. "There have been instances of men causing problems by staring or touching women. Generally, people warn us to avoid trains that tend to get overcrowded. Many say that TTEs don't intervene in cases of overcrowding. And most of the time, passengers don't know what to do if a TTE doesn't help. There is a severe lack of awareness about the chain of command people can approach if an officer doesn't assist."
Railways' Response
A railway official said the RPF runs sustained awareness campaigns to sensitize the public regarding the dangers associated with such acts — serious injuries and death of passengers. "Outreach programs are being conducted among schoolchildren, youth, and residents living in trackside areas as well as at places of community gathering such as temples and churches. RPF is in touch with residents, shopkeepers, and community leaders to foster cooperation, gather actionable inputs, and discourage anti-social activities. Periodic coordination meetings are held, and collaboration is ensured with the Government Railway Police and local police through joint patrolling, intelligence sharing, and prompt action."
Focus is given to counseling vulnerable youth in trackside areas with the support of parents, teachers, and local authorities to prevent their involvement. Public announcements at high-risk locations raise awareness of threats to passenger safety and railway property. Public cooperation has helped identify offenders and improve detection rates. Steps are also being taken to recover costs for damage caused by stone pelting to strengthen legal action and deterrence, the official said.
