States are upset and their senior officials baffled over the way Railway Protection Force has been given power to arrest, investigate and prosecute suspects in several criminal cases.
Under Criminal Procedure Code the state police have the right to investigate crimes. Law and order is a state subject under the Constitution.
The Director Generals of Police and home secretaries of states expressed their protest to the amendments during a meeting with Union Railway Minister Nitish Kumar and senior officials at Rail Bhawan on Thursday, according to sources.
The latest amendments pushed through during the last session of Parliament gives the RPF the right to make arrests, investigate and prosecute suspects in several criminal cases.
These are exclusive state police rights and almost every state has a railway police division to carry out investigations into crimes committed in the railway premises.
RPF's primary duty is to protect the railway property, to remove impediments to functioning of railways on a daily basis and to do other duties as an armed force of India.
According to sources, the amendments may have received the blessings of Kumar because of his ongoing war with Laloo Prasad Yadav. Bihar, incidentally, is also witnessing a number of railway crimes, especially against women.
"But that is no excuse for the railways to infringe on a state subject," said an official. He said the amendment would have 'long-lasting impact' on Centre-state relations.
What is most baffling is how the opposition allowed the Centre to amend the RPF Act, allowing the Railway Protection Force to handle 26 crimes other than the ones traditionally defined by law, the official added.
According to railway ministry the amendments were carried out to empower the RPF to deal with crimes at stations and trains more effectively. Nitish Kumar told the meeting that amendments were not an attempt by RPF to encroach upon powers of state police.
Despite minister's assurances, most state officials remain unconvinced.
© 2025