Agnipath protests: Had no option but to fire, say RPF officials

Hyderabad: Was firing the right step to evade major loss of life and property damage after agitators went on the rampage at the Secunderabad Railway Station? Even as the firing by the Railway Protection Force, which resulted in the death of a teenager and injuring several others, has drawn criticism from various political quarters and citizens, officials maintain that they had no other option but to resort to firing to stop the protesters from torching the diesel storage tank output, which could have caused major damage.

The protesters, who first walked around randomly on Platform No 1 and damaged everything in sight, including food stalls, clocks and surveillance cameras, eventually turned more violent and torched compartments of trains stationed on the tracks. After setting ablaze goods in the parcel service wing and automobiles, a few protesters were seen walking towards a particular train, which was at the diesel storage tank, reportedly to torch the fuel tank and the train.

Had they torched the tank or the train adjacent to it, there was a high chance of the fire spreading to the tank and the possibility of a massive explosion, which could claim several lives in the surroundings, apart from property damage too.