CR presents plan to set up 1650 CCTVs along railway tracks
This will help the CR authorities in documenting evidence in cases of untoward incidents and accidents, curbing cases of passenger lootings, spotting members of the fatka gang, and identifying trespassing activities, said a source from CR.
'We will begin with installing the cameras at seven locations near Titwala, Ambivli, Shahad and Vashi stations that are hotspots of fatka-gang attacks. Subsequently, we will expand it in the coming months. In total, 1650 CCTVs will be installed,' said a CR official. There have been 12-15 incidents of fatka-gang attacks since January, of which 50% operate near these railway stations, he added.
Fatka gang is a group of notorious robbers stationed near the railway tracks, targeting local and long-distance train passengers to snatch mobile phones and other valuables. They identify locations on rail lines that have a curve where trains slow down and attack the passengers' hands with sticks and stones, causing their phones to fall out of the train. The robbers would then pick up the fallen phone and run away. The name 'fatka' comes from a Marathi word, which means a hit. For their robbery pattern of hitting on the hand, it is named the 'fatka' gang. The railway police have also formed special teams to investigate crimes by such gangs.
The other locations to have CCTV cameras installed include Kurla, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Bhiwandi, and Wadala rail stations. Though these CCTV cameras are not equipped with advanced technologies like facial recognition, like those installed at railway stations, they will play a crucial role in tracking movements near tracks, said another CR official.
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Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
CR presents plan to set up 1650 CCTVs along railway tracks
Mumbai: The Central Railway (CR) recently came up with an elaborate plan to install 1,650 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras along railway lines, to keep surveillance on tracks, train-parking yards, encroachment zones and hotspots with high crime rates. This decision comes after the August 3 incident, where a long-distance train passenger fell from the train after being struck by the notorious 'fatka gang'. Mumbai, India - June 15, 2020: Commuters at Kurla railway station after Central Railways resume Local Train Service for Essential Staff, during Nationwide Lockdown in the wake of Coronavirus pandemic in Mumbai, India, on Monday, June 15, 2020. (Photo by Vijayanand Gupta/ HT PHOTO) (HT PHOTO) This will help the CR authorities in documenting evidence in cases of untoward incidents and accidents, curbing cases of passenger lootings, spotting members of the fatka gang, and identifying trespassing activities, said a source from CR. 'We will begin with installing the cameras at seven locations near Titwala, Ambivli, Shahad and Vashi stations that are hotspots of fatka-gang attacks. Subsequently, we will expand it in the coming months. In total, 1650 CCTVs will be installed,' said a CR official. There have been 12-15 incidents of fatka-gang attacks since January, of which 50% operate near these railway stations, he added. Fatka gang is a group of notorious robbers stationed near the railway tracks, targeting local and long-distance train passengers to snatch mobile phones and other valuables. They identify locations on rail lines that have a curve where trains slow down and attack the passengers' hands with sticks and stones, causing their phones to fall out of the train. The robbers would then pick up the fallen phone and run away. The name 'fatka' comes from a Marathi word, which means a hit. For their robbery pattern of hitting on the hand, it is named the 'fatka' gang. The railway police have also formed special teams to investigate crimes by such gangs. The other locations to have CCTV cameras installed include Kurla, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Bhiwandi, and Wadala rail stations. Though these CCTV cameras are not equipped with advanced technologies like facial recognition, like those installed at railway stations, they will play a crucial role in tracking movements near tracks, said another CR official.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
Amid Dadar Kabutarkhana row, simmering tension between Jain and Marathi communities escalates
As more than a hundred residents and members of the Marathi Ekikaran Samiti gathered at the Dadar Kabutarkhana in Mumbai Wednesday morning to oppose the Jain community's support for pigeon feeding, their objections to a Jain monk's comments became the focal point of the protest. Earlier this month, Jain monk Nilesh Chandra Vijay threatened to go on an indefinite hunger strike against the decision to shut down Dadar Kabutarkhana, and said the community would take up arms to protect his religion. The anger also spilt onto Dadar's streets exactly a week after a crowd of hundreds, including members of the Jain community, tore grey tarpaulin sheets installed over the Dadar Kabutarkhana to feed pigeons forcefully. While it was the contentious subject of pigeon feeding and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)'s ongoing crackdown against kabutarkhanas that triggered the gatherings, the protests have now underscored the simmering tensions between the Marathi and Jain communities in Mumbai. Claims and counterclaims As the police detained nearly 15 people Wednesday, those at the gathering alleged selective treatment, and questioned why no action was taken against the members of the Jain community after they violated the Bombay High Court directives and forcefully fed pigeons at the closed spot on August 6. Voicing their anger against the Jain monk's comments about picking up arms, the protesters also raised concerns over the use of 'weapons' deployed by members of the Jain community to cut through the cover installed by the civic body at Dadar Kabutarkhana. Members of the Jain community, meanwhile, have viewed the crackdown as the administration's insensitivity to its religious traditions. They have pointed to the series of actions in the past six months, such as the demolition of a century-old temple in Vile Parle, the crackdown on pigeon-feeding practices, and a court-ordered relocation of a temple elephant. Past tension between Marathi and Jain communities The recent flashpoint punctuates the long-standing tensions between the Jain and Marathi communities, which have flared over issues surrounding language, denial of residence in Gujarati-Jain-dominated clusters, as well as food preferences in the past few decades. Also Read | Why an order by Mumbai's civic body on feeding pigeons is now before HC In April this year, tensions between the communities came to the fore as MNS workers engaged in heated arguments at a Ghatkopar housing society. They alleged Marathi-speaking residents had been insulted for eating non-vegetarian food. In 2023, a political furore erupted after Tripti Devrukhkar, a Marathi woman, alleged that she was denied office space by a Gujarati father and son at Mulund. Political backing While the Shiv Sena has been known for championing the cause of Marathi manoos, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has historically been a strong ally of the Jain community. With the BMC elections likely to be held in the coming months, the recent tensions between Marathi and Jain communities have yet again rankled parties across the political spectrum over their implications. While the BJP has tried to assuage the Jain community's fears by maintaining that the recent actions have stemmed from judicial orders, and not anti-Jain sentiment, the Shiv Sena, Shiv Sena (UBT), and MNS — who are trying to build a ground in the state ahead of the civic polls — have taken up the cause in an attempt to woo its Marathi voter base. Also Read | From sacred tradition to shutdown: The history and end of Mumbai's Kabutarkhanas Despite accounting for only 1.25 per cent of Maharashtra's population, the Jain community holds a strong sway within the state's political landscape. The Maharashtra Assembly has seven MLAs from the community (2.43 per cent), six of whom are from the saffron party, with the seventh being part of the BJP-led alliance. When Jains protested against the closure of Kabutarkhanas, Maharashtra Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha on August 4 wrote to the civic body appealing for the possibility of alternative feeding spots. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also convened a meeting with members of the Jain community and the Dadar trust Tuesday, where he directed BMC to allow feeding of pigeons at public spaces in a controlled manner to ensure that the birds do not starve. After this, the Marathi Ekikaran Samiti levelled accusations of preferential treatment towards the Jain community by the state government. Stand of Shinde Sena and MNS Meanwhile, the Dadar locals and Samiti's support for the closure of Kabutarkhanas has found resonance amongst the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which grew on the 'sons of the soil' agenda in the city. In fact, it was Shinde Sena MLC Manisha Kayande who first flagged health concerns caused by the pigeon feeding spots across Mumbai in the Maharashtra Assembly in July, following which Industries Minister Uday Samant directed BMC to ban pigeon feeding in the city. The decision irked the Jain community, for whom feeding pigeons holds religious significance, nudging them to launch protests. Following the clash with the police on August 6, Kayande told reporters, 'Members of the Jain community tore the sheets which had been laid over the feeding site. This is a complete contempt of the High Court. This is no religious subject, but in fact, a subject of medical science and concerns birds and animals. However, now, the voices of people who have suffered ailments due to the pigeons have been completely stifled.' On August 10, making a snide statement against Jain members, MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande wore a t-shirt and took to social media to take potshots at 'Nares, Sures, Pares', which are common names amongst the community. As tempers flared further, Jain monk Vijay clarified on August 13 that they were not against Marathis, and also beseeched MNS chief Raj Thackeray to intervene and resolve the matter. Calling Raj Thackeray 'the god of Marathi language', he said, 'Only he can resolve this matter. Rajasthan may be our janmabhoomi, but Maharashtra is our karmabhoomi.' In 2015, the Shiv Sena (UBT), through its mouthpiece Saamana, voiced its opposition over the meat sale ban imposed by BMC on account of Paryushan, a Jain holy festival.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Dadar Kabutarkhana row: Activists raise insider-outsider issue over pigeon feeding
MUMBAI: The outsider-insider debate surfaced yet again on Wednesday as members of Marathi Ekikaran Samitee converged at the Dadar Kabutarkhana to protest the Jain community's recent resistance towards a ban on pigeon feeding. Around 100 members of the Samitee turned up at the spot, blaming 'outsider Jains from Gujarat and Rajasthan creating unnecessary controversy over pigeon feeding'. Mumbai Police detained workers of the Marathi Ekikaran Samiti during a protest at Dadar Kabutarkhana. (Raju Shinde/ HT Photo) The activists alleged that when protests by the Jain community broke out last week against the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) efforts to implement the Bombay High Court (HC) ban on pigeon feeding, 'police chose to remain silent spectators'. The activists also alleged that police purportedly detained members of the Samitee on Wednesday who only wished to give a memorandum to them stating that 'police should not allow anyone to take law into their own hands like the Jain community's protest last week, and should it occur again, stringent action should be taken'. Established on June 6, 2015, the Samitee claims to be a non-political outfit, but a civil society group formed to protect Marathi language, Marathi pride, Marathi schools and jobs that lead to the progress of Marathi people. It however drew the spotlight on itself in July 2025 when it organised a march in Mira Road, which was joined by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Shiv Sena (UBT) workers, following a row between Marathi and non-Marathi speaking traders, after a shopkeeper was allegedly assaulted by a local activist for failing to speak in Marathi. The Samitee, staged the protest on Wednesday against attempts being made to connect a social issue related to public health with religious sentiments. Gowardhan Deshmukh, chief of the Samitee, along with other activists were detained by police. One of the detained activists said, 'Closing Dadar Kabutarkhana is not a religious issue but a social and health issue. A Jain monk had put out a warning that they would use weapons. Against whom? This should be stopped. No one should give a religious colour to a judicial decision. Unfortunately no Marathi minister came in support of us and people affected by pigeons.' Deshmukh slammed police for using force against the activists and showed how he hurt his hand in the process. 'The Jains in Maharashtra have lived peacefully for centuries but those who came from Gujarat and Rajasthan are damaging social harmony,' Deshmukh said, warning, 'the Samitee will organise a protest march if the pressure tactics do not stop'. The Jain monk that the activist referred to is Nileshchandra Vijay. After the HC order on Wednesday asking BMC to seek suggestions and objections on pigeon feeding, Vijay said, the community will move Supreme Court (SC) to lift the ban, 'and should SC rule against it lakhs of people from the Jain community along with me will go on an indefinite hunger strike, which is the biggest weapon'. Clarifying his stance of last week, Vijay said, 'When I said we will take up arms, it was misunderstood. Protests by the Marathi organisation were politically motivated with eye on local body polls. Our struggle is to save the lives of animals.' Last week, around 1000 people from the Jain community gathered at the Dadar Kabutarkhana and tore down the plastic sheet put up by the civic body with knives and blades. Later, however, both the Dadar Kabutarkhana Trust and the elders of the Jain community claimed they were not responsible for the vandalism. Speaking up on the issue, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said: 'Some people are trying to polarise society ahead of the local body election.' He added, 'Measures will be taken to create separate spaces for pigeons away from human habitat, which will not hurt religious sentiments (as suggested by minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha last week). Those trying to create conflict will not succeed.' On the other hand, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said: 'So-called animal lovers should think about people who suffer from health problems due to pigeons and those affected by dog bites.'
