Southern Railway alert over Rohingya influx in Kerala

The ‘secret’ letter written by P Sethu Madhavan, assistant security commissioner (prosecution and SIB), headquarters, on behalf of the principal chief security commissioner to his senior security commissioners in Chennai, Salem, Trichy, Madurai, Palakkad and Trivandrum divisions, says: “Input indicates that a huge number of Rohingyas is travelling from every corner of northeastern States and ultimately heading towards Kerala, especially in the following south bound trains.” 

The alert has red-flagged 14 trains, two from Silchar to Trivandrum, one each from Shalimar to Chennai Central and Trivandrum, two from Howrah to Chennai Central, one each from Howrah to Kanyakumari and Trichy, three express trains from Santragachi to Chennai Central, one from Santragachi to Puducherry, one from Guwahati to Tambaram and Dibrugarh to Tambaram. 

The chief security commissioner has warned his divisional bosses that all Rohingyas were travelling in groups along with their families in the 14 south bound trains. 

Advising the divisional security commissioners to sensitise their staff about the movement of the refugees, the security chief of SR zone has also instructed divisions to hand over the Rohingyas to jurisdiction police if they were caught travelling on trains. 

The chief security commissioner has also sought an action taken report from divisions at the earliest. Though railway officials refused to confirm the circulation of the letter, sources in the know admitted that the inputs were received from central agencies.