The Maharashtra government on Monday, June 29, announced a series of measures to strengthen security across Mumbai's suburban railway network following the fatal stabbing of a commuter aboard a moving local train earlier this month.
Responding to an adjournment motion in the Legislative Assembly, Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam said the government will expand CCTV surveillance, increase police patrolling, improve emergency medical facilities at railway stations and enhance monitoring of trains to improve passenger safety.
The announcement comes days after 22-year-old Mayank Lohar was allegedly stabbed to death on June 23 inside a first-class coach of a Churchgate-Nalasopara local train following an altercation with a fellow passenger. The accused, Roshan Suvarna, allegedly attacked Lohar multiple times with a knife, threatened fellow passengers and fled the scene.
Kadam said the accused was arrested within 15 hours with the help of CCTV footage and the Facial Recognition System.
"Legal action has been initiated against him," the minister told the House, adding that the swift arrest demonstrated the effectiveness of surveillance technology in solving crimes on Mumbai's suburban railway network.
The minister said the state government has requested financial assistance from the Centre to expand CCTV coverage across the suburban railway network.
At present, around 6,900 CCTV cameras have been installed across 177 railway stations, with their feeds monitored round the clock through 20 Government Railway Police (GRP) stations.
Following the recent incident, police have intensified CCTV monitoring and increased patrolling at stations and inside trains to deter crime.
Highlighting the scale of Mumbai's suburban railway system, Kadam said nearly 7.5 million to 8 million passengers travel on local trains every day, making physical screening of every commuter impossible.
"It is impractical for the police to scan all the 7.5 million commuters who travel on local trains every day," he said.
Instead, the Railway Police rely on intelligence-based surveillance, conducting checks on suspicious individuals, carrying out surprise inspections and performing random checks inside train coaches.
Addressing concerns over staffing, Kadam said the Government Railway Police has a sanctioned strength of 4,175 personnel. However, only 3,408 officers and personnel are currently deployed.
He also said that against the sanctioned strength of 2,000 home guards, 1,520 have been recruited, while 112 Maharashtra Security Force personnel have been appointed against a sanctioned strength of 150.
The minister said women's safety remains a key priority on Mumbai's suburban railway network.
A total of 218 railway security teams have been deployed to monitor ladies' compartments between 9 pm and 6 am, with four security personnel assigned to each train during those hours.
To improve emergency response, the government has sought central funding to establish emergency medical rooms at all 177 railway stations.
The proposed facilities are aimed at ensuring accident victims and injured passengers receive immediate treatment during the critical "golden hour."
Sharing the GRP's performance this year, Kadam said the railway helpline 1512 has received nearly 1.56 lakh calls since January 2026.
He said police have returned lost cash and valuables worth ₹4.36 crore to more than 56,000 commuters, taken action against 303 criminals and booked 117 people involved in drug-related offences.
Kadam also informed the Assembly that the Railway Police have launched a "Zero Death" mission to reduce fatalities on the suburban railway network.
As part of the initiative, 63 accident-prone locations have been identified for focused intervention. Special operations are being supervised by two Deputy Commissioners of Police and five Assistant Commissioners of Police to strengthen safety measures, improve emergency response and reduce accidents.
The issue was raised in the Assembly by Opposition leaders Bhaskar Jadhav and Nana Patole following the June 23 killing. Taking note of the concerns, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar directed the government to make a statement on the steps being taken to enhance passenger safety across Mumbai's suburban railway network.
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