 "Rail ministry refutes mismanagement claims, warns against misleading videos")
The Ministry of Railways on Sunday refuted the claims made in a string of viral videos on social media of mismanagement and overcrowding in air-conditioned (AC) train coaches.
The ministry dismissed these claims, providing videos as evidence to counter what it called “misleading’ posts”. The ministry urged people not to tarnish the image of the Indian Railways by sharing outdated or incorrect videos.
The ministry claimed there was an ongoing social media campaign aimed at damaging the reputation of the Railways. “It has been observed that some users are sharing inaccurate or old videos to depict mismanagement in AC coaches,” the ministry said in a post on social media platform X.
“Upon investigation, no evidence of mismanagement was found. The ministry has posted clarifications on a case-by-case basis and has advised people not to believe in rumours.”
On 19 April, C user Kapil (@kapsology), whose bio mentions ‘Support AAP’, shared a video on the social media platform claiming overcrowding in a second AC coach.
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“The crowd has reached one of the most premium coaches of Indian Trains. Only First AC is left to be destroyed by Minister for Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw,” the user said in his post, which has gathered around 3 million views.
Responding to the claims of overcrowding in a second AC coach, the Ministry of Railways shared a video showing the present condition of the coach, stating: "The present video of the coach. No overcrowding. Please don’t malign the image of Indian Railways by sharing misleading videos.”
In another response, the ministry clarified that the videos used to claim “horrific” treatment and degraded service quality were old ones.
“It is hereby informed that videos shared in this post are old. Watch the present condition of the mentioned train. Indian Railways is running a record number of additional trains this season to facilitate passengers,” the ministry stated in its response.
Refuting claims of a broken door glass in a third AC coach of the Kaifiyat Express, the ministry shared a video and confirmed that no such incident was found during its internal investigation.
"Based on the internal investigation, no such incident related to the breaking of glass was reported. Kindly refrain from sharing old misleading videos," the ministry urged.
Following the ministry’s clarifications, various users continued to share videos of overcrowded coaches, complaining of delays and unhygienic situations in trains across the nation.
Joining in the public outcry, member of Parliament and Trinamool Congress national spokesperson Saket Gokhale re-shared the ministry’s video, calling the clarifications “astonishing & shameless”, despite hundreds of passengers sharing their personal experiences with videos of immense overcrowding.
As the issue continues to rage on social media, the ministry has yet to respond to the latest allegations of overcrowded coaches and mismanagement claims by netizens circulating on the internet today.