A controversy erupted over the condition of a train provided for Border Security Force (BSF) personnel from Tripura being deployed for the Amarnath Yatra duty, after videos emerged showing dirty, damaged, and unhygienic coaches. This prompted swift action from Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who suspended four officials and ordered an inquiry.
In a statement released Wednesday, the Railway Ministry said it has taken a serious view of the incident, stressing that the dignity and welfare of security forces must not be compromised.
“The Railway Minister said that the dignity of the security forces is paramount and such negligence will not be tolerated at any level. An enquiry has also been ordered so that such incidents shouldn’t take place in future,” it said.
The ministry also said that a special train with all facilities has been arranged for smooth and comfortable movement of the security personnel.
The officials suspended include three senior section engineers and one coaching depot officer from the Alipurduar Rail Division.
Viral Videos Spark Row
The incident was brought to the fore after BSF jawans captured videos of the train’s poor condition, including broken seats and cockroach infestations, and posted them on social media. The footage, reportedly taken on June 9, quickly went viral, drawing sharp criticism from political leaders and netizens.
Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed slammed the government on X, accusing it of prioritising image-building and “PR for few flashy trains” over essential infrastructure.
“Shame on @narendramodi and @AshwiniVaishnaw for providing a filthy train — full of dirt, cockroaches, and broken seats — for our BSF soldiers heading for Amarnath Yatra duty,” she posted.
Conflicting Claims From Northeast Frontier Railway
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) had dismissed these claims just a day earlier. In a post dated June 10, the NFR, while responding to posts showing a video of the train, stated that the coach shown in the viral video was “unexamined” and was never meant to carry BSF personnel.
“The allegation that BSF was provided such kind of coach for travel is incorrect. Coaches are provided for travel only after necessary maintenance, repairs and cleaning. This video is of an unexamined coach which was being sent for repair and was not meant for travel of BSF forces,” the NFR had posted.
However, the official inquiry and subsequent disciplinary action seem to have contradicted NFR’s statement.
BSF Deployment Part of Large-Scale Yatra Security Operation
Approximately 1,200 BSF personnel from 13 companies were scheduled to travel from Udaipur (Tripura) to Jammu Tawi, with pick-up points across Tripura, Assam, and West Bengal. They form part of the additional deployment ordered by the Centre for this year’s Amarnath Yatra.
The pilgrimage, which begins on July 3 and will continue for 38 days till August 9, has seen heightened security due to past threats. A total of 581 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), roughly 42,000 personnel, are being stationed across the route.
This year’s preparations come in the wake of the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, where 26 people, most of them tourists, lost their lives.
(With inputs from news agency PTI.)
