MUMBAI: With drives against illegal travel in handicapped coaches not deterring able-bodied passengers, Kurla Railway Protection Force ( RPF ) has started to shame them by parading them with crutches or on wheelchairs after they alight. The offenders are then booked under the Indian Railway Act.More than 3,000 able-bodied commuters were booked for illegal travel in handicapped coaches last year by Kurla RPF. More than 490 have been booked till mid-March this year.“We have been conducting frequent drives to dissuade illegal travel in handicapped coaches but there is no change in the situation. We then thought of carrying out an experiment so that able-bodied passengers understand how they are posing difficulties for disabled commuters,” said Kurla RPF senior inspector Suresh Atri. RPF personnel have been standing outside handicapped coaches since last Friday with crutches or wheelchairs. Once able-bodied passengers alight from the coaches, they are told to use crutches or occupy a wheelchair. They are then taken across the platform up to the RPF outpost with crutches or the wheelchair.“We explain to them why they have been asked to use crutches or wheelchairs. Some commuters apologise and vow to never repeat their actions. Few others are adamant that they boarded the coach accidentally or there was no space in the adjacent general compartment,” said an officer.Around 40 offenders have been part of RPF’s experiment and pictures of some have been uploaded on RPF’s Twitter account too. “Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act prescribes strict punishment for offenders. As GRP can invoke this Act, RPF should hand over offenders to them,” said CBI employee Sagar Bornare, who had pressed charges against two officers for illegal travel.

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