In what is being touted as a first of its kind drive in India, the Government Railway Police (GRP) of Agra division sent 109 persons to jail after they were found urinating on railway property.
Senior superintendent of police, GRP, Gopeshnath Khanna noticed that the stink of urine and paan stains from spitting surrounded almost all railway properties and decided to launch a drive to penalise those creating public nuisance.
According to a report in The Times of India, the people, who had been found urinating on railway property including platform and tracks parking lot, were released after 24 hours. They were also made to pay a fine ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 500, depending on the gravity of their act. The offenders were charged under Section 34 of the Police Act (Punishment for certain offences such as inconvenience, annoyance to passengers or residents in public places, roads, etc).
The drive, part of the Swachh Bharat campaign, was conducted over a period of two days across 12 stations of the Agra division.
“In a special drive conducted at several stations of Agra division, including Agra Cantt, Agra Fort, Idgah, Raja Ki Mandi and Tundla, 109 men were sent to jail for 24 hours and were penalized up to Rs 500 for urinating in public places on railway properties in front of women and children. They were also fined for creating public nuisance by consuming alcohol or spitting pan masala from the window of trains in public place,” the SSP told the newspaper.
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