Security slack at rlystns; scanners lie idle

Lucknow: Security screening systems, including X-ray baggage scanners and metal detectors, were found either underutilized or non-operational at major railway stations in Lucknow during a reality check by TOI of passenger entry arrangements.

At Gomti Nagar railway station, no security personnel were seen monitoring the X-ray baggage scanner or ensuring baggage checks before passengers entered the platforms. Police presence at entry and exit gates was also limited.

At Lucknow Junction, baggage scanners and metal detectors were installed, but passengers were seen entering without mandatory screening. No officials were present near the machines to guide passengers for luggage checks.

The baggage scanner at Charbagh railway station was found non-operational, with officials citing ongoing construction work as the reason. All X-ray baggage scanners and metal detectors in city railway stations are managed by the Railway Protection Force. “Instructions have again been issued to ensure compliance with security checklist specially regular checks of baggage via x-ray scanner,” said an official source.

The issue has come into focus after Govt Railway Police began investigating the recovery of an unidentified woman’s dismembered body from the Chhapra Gomti Nagar Express on Sunday.

Five parts of the dismembered body were found inside a box and a heavy-duty cargo bag in the S1 sleeper coach after the train reached Gomti Nagar railway station. Sanitation workers noticed the unclaimed items during cleaning operations after the train completed its journey.