In the wake of the heist that took place Monday at a metro station in Delhi, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) decided Tuesday to disallow passengers from covering their faces while walking through security checks, reports said. Also, security has been beefed up in at least two dozen metro stations.
Two men with covered faces Monday entered the control room of the Rajendra Place Metro Station, stabbed a metro official and stole Rs. 12 lakh. A hunt for the two individuals, who were seen on CCTV footage, is underway.
The CISF is also reviewing the loopholes in its security set-up at metro stations, a senior official was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
"At the frisking point, everyone would be asked to uncover the face. Thus, everybody's face will be captured by CCTV cameras. Only seriously ill patients will be allowed to keep the mask," an official was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
"The measure was there in place and suspicious people were asked to remove covers during frisking, but it will now be implemented strictly in all cases. This to ensure that all faces are seen by the security personnel and are also captured on CCTV cameras. In case there is an incident, everyone should be identifiable," officials were quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India. However, it was not said if Muslim women in tradition attire would also be asked to uncover their faces.
Several other security measures have been implemented after a threat mail was received April 2 by the Delhi Metro. These include passengers being frisked before reaching the ticket counter or the customer care executive.
Passengers coming from metro stations in VIP areas like New Delhi, Race Course Road, Udyog Bhawan, Central Secretariat and those on the airport line will face extra scrutiny.
