Confusion over sports gear that Delhi Metro and CISF could clarify

By Rahul Banerji

Could the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and Central Industrial Security Force please clarify on what the policy is with regard to carrying sports equipment on Delhi Metro trains?

It is all a little confusing as there is no clear line or directive on the matter. On the list of banned items, sports equipment appears nowhere. Yet this writer has been repeatedly stopped at the X-Ray machine at the entrance of Metro stations while carrying a golf set.

At 6 or 7 in the morning, all that is on one’s mind heading to the course is to try and play the best golf possible, and beat my partners of the day.

And, if it’s possible, to forget the past week’s gruesome round that saw an unwanted century on the scorecard.

To be then informed that I am carrying what amounts to threatening pieces of equipment is a little unnerving, especially when a senior official posted at the station I most frequently use, New Ashok Nagar, says that my golf clubs could be used to hurt or harm.

Dead-end chats

Conversations usually follow this template:

CISF officer/constable: “You cannot carry that inside. It is not allowed. These things (golf clubs) can be used for wrong purposes.”

Me: “But this is a golf bag. These are golf ballas. I am going to play a match.”

CISF: “That may be but this is not allowed. It is dangerous.”

Me: “The bag is closed, the ballas are inside, I can only use them on the golf course.”

CISF: “Not allowed. I cannot let you go.”

On the most recent occasion this happened, I was actually informed that my clubs could be used for murder.

Wow!

By this logic, a fair number of things the millions of DMRC passengers carry onto the Metro on a daily basis could be deemed harmful. But it is almost always sports equipment that gets the most negative attention.

Digging into the matter before writing this post during the odd-even traffic restrictions, there was no reference to a ban on sports items. On the list though, is the phrase, “dangerous items”, which is something of a catch-all.

It could mean anything, leaving it to the judgement of those manning the gates.

To be fair, on most occasions, one is allowed to go through even if it is with great reluctance — but it certainly is an unnerving experience.

No clarity

So off it was to the DMRC website, delhimetrorail.com to see if there was any specific order on the matter. What I found in the “passenger information: Metro security” section was this:

“8. The Govt. of India believes in the policy of prevention rather than prudent pessimism and hence has directed CISF to carry out 100% checking / frisking of commuters and 100% inspection of the baggage / material to be taken inside the metro network.

“Adequate number of security equipments like XBIS, DFMD, HHMD have been provided to CISF for this purpose.”

Nothing more.

Please inspect and check, by all means. I am a citizen and am happy to cooperate with any measure that ensures the security and safety of fellow-passengers.

But please don’t say I am on my way to hurting or harming someone deliberately when all that is on the mind is a good score in the occasionally healthy outdoors.

Not just me, plenty of passengers will be grateful if some sort of sensitisation/instruction is passed down the line, or we are clearly informed whether all sports equipment is allowed or banned on Metro trains.

At least then I’ll not be accused of planning to inflict physical harm inside a Metro train where there’s no room to even take out a golf club, leave alone space to try and swing it.

Hero Challenge for van Rooyen

South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen won the final Hero Challenge of the year after scoring with every ball under the lights at Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai on Tuesday.

Debutant van Rooyen topped his group before edging past two Masters winners, Patrick Reed, champion in 2018, in a close-fought semi-final and then overpowering Danny Willett, the 2016 Masters champion, in the final thanks to an early bulls-eye.

The innovative shootout event took place ahead of the European Tour season finale, the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and saw Scandinavian Invitation winner van Rooyen vie for the trophy alongside Shane Lowry, Henrik Stenson, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Willett and Reed.

Hero MotoCorp chairman Dr Pawan Munjal also used to occasion to announce his company’s involvement with the innovative shoot-out for a further three years on the European Tour.

Also read: Moliwood’s Tommy to headline Hero Challenge on Liverpool waterfront