After replacing 12 damaged windows, Railways fit Vande Bharat Express with cameras to curb stone-pelting at train

The Indian Railways have had to install cameras on the outside of the Vande Bharat Express to help identify people who pelt stones at the train, according to reports. At least 12 stone-pelting incidents have been recorded since the express, also known as Train 18, began running in February. Hindustan Times has reported that 12 glass windows have had to be replaced in just two months, as a result of stone pelting incidents. [caption id=“attachment_6101891” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of the Vande Bharat Express.[/caption] The Train 18 is a semi-high speed train. The Hindustan Times report quoted the director general of Railway Protection Force, Arun Kumar, as noting that the four cameras, two each on the rear and the front, could help the Railways identify that in which area on its route do the incidents take place more often. Attempts to counsel locals and distribute chocolates among slum children to dissuade them from pelting stones, reportedly did not yield results. In February itself, the newly launched express  was damaged when two cows had strayed on the track and got hit by the superfast train, which was running at a speed of around 130 kilometres per hour. Just a day after it was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 February, the controls of the train had failed , leaving it stranded 15 kilometres from Tundla junction in Uttar Pradesh.