Jamshedpur: Officials of the Chakradharpur railway division have pressed drone cameras to carry out aerial surveillance of railway tracks and other assets as the Maoists observe Daman Virodhi Saptah (anti-oppression week) from June 25 to July 1.Drone cameras are being used to watch tracks, major bridges, tunnels and other critical assets in sensitive areas and detect suspicious activities before Maoists can disrupt railway operations. Until now, security in these areas depended largely on ground vigilance by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and district police.“Drone cameras have been brought into use by the RPF as an initiative for remote surveillance during Daman Virodhi Saptah (25 June-July 1) observed by Naxal groups,” said Aditya Choudhary, senior divisional commercial manager of Chakradharpur.With drones, the RPF now receives live video feeds and images. The footage is monitored and analysed at a central control room. If suspicious activity is noticed near tracks or railway assets, the RPF immediately coordinates with local police, the Government Railway Police and Central Armed Police Forces for joint action.“Aerial surveillance will continue in future. Continuous aerial monitoring and ground domination patrols were undertaken to maintain heightened vigilance and deter any threat to railway operations on the Chakradharpur-Manoharpur section,” Choudhary said.Maoist attacks have earlier hit railway operations in the region. On August 2, 2025, during ‘Shaheed Saptah’ (Martyrs’ Week), Maoists carried out a twin-stage IED attack between Karampada and Rengda sidings in West Singhbhum, killing one railway staffer and injuring another.The cadres of the outlawed outfit set off a blast which blew railway tracks between Mahadevsal and Posoita on December 22, 2023, during their ‘Resistance Week’, forcing cancellation of over a dozen Howrah-Mumbai trains.
