Because it connects India’s many and varied landscapes, the Indian Railways are frequently referred to as the country’s lifeline. It has grown to rank among the world’s biggest and busiest rail networks since its founding. With the capacity to carry over 23 million passengers daily and millions of tonnes of freight across the country, the railroads have emerged as the most important mode of transportation and a key driver of India’s socioeconomic development.
Nevertheless, despite all of its benefits and developments, the Indian Railways has increasingly turned into a hub for illegal activity. Reports of theft, extortion, fraud, and molestation are common among passengers.
A similar event occurred recently when social media users shared a video purportedly showing a guy dragging a snake into the second-class cabin. In addition to carrying a snake, he attempted to coerce passengers into paying him money. The Indian Railways responded to the incident shortly after and shared their findings regarding this man.
A man brandishing a snake causes terror in the Bagmati Express:
Recently, there were reports of an odd and dangerous event on the Bagmati Express near Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction. According to reports, a man brandished a snake inside the second-class bogie and began extorting people for cash. The passengers were terrified by the snake’s presence, and many of them were making money offers.
One passenger posted the incident’s footage on X, formerly known as Twitter, to alert authorities to the situation.
A traveler by the name of Shaurabh Jha tweeted the following along with the video:
Respected Sir/Ma’am, It’s a request to you please take a look into this matter, In Bagmati Express at Pt. DDU Junction a person come in Second Class carrying a snake like organism and taking money by forcefully from everyone. @RailwaySeva @RailMinIndia
What is the response of Indian Railways to the video?
Indian Railways quickly responded to his tweet after seeing it and tagged DRM Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Division’s official X account so they could look into the matter more closely.
Following this, he was requested to submit a PNR and contact number by DRM Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Division’s official X account.
Following an investigation, Shaurabh received an update regarding his complaint from Railway Seva’s official Twitter account. They responded by telling him that the authorities had searched extensively and reviewed CCTV footage, but had failed to locate the snake-wielding individual. They did, however, add that they would take the necessary steps if they learnt anything more about him in the future. Railways responded by writing,
It is informed that in reference to your complaint, the CCTV footage from the arrival to the departure of the train at DDU station was carefully examined. Prima facie, no person carrying a snake was seen boarding or alighting from the train in the video. A thorough search was also conducted in the station premises, but no person matching this description was found. The relevant information has been given to all security forces deployed on duty. If any such person is found in future, appropriate action will be taken against him as per the rules.
Despite its size, Indian Railways consistently appears in tales like these, exposing the weaknesses in its security framework. The government and authorities will need to increase RPF vigilance in order to completely erase this security issue. More CCTVs could be added as well. Nevertheless, we will need to prioritise this. Otherwise, the reputation of the railways will be harmed daily by these kinds of situations.
What are your thoughts regarding this incident? Please leave your opinions in the article’s comment section.
