Four Railway Officials Suspended After Dilapidated Train Assigned to BSF Troops for Amarnath Yatra Duty

The Ministry of Railways has suspended four officials following widespread outrage over the allocation of a rundown train to Border Security Force (BSF) personnel headed to Jammu and Kashmir for deployment during the upcoming Amarnath Yatra.

The action was taken after a video surfaced on social media showing severely unhygienic and damaged train compartments allegedly assigned to the BSF. The footage, reportedly recorded by jawans themselves, revealed filthy interiors, broken doors and windows, malfunctioning electrical fittings, and piles of garbage inside the coaches.

The video went viral on social media, sparking widespread criticism and leading to prompt action from Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. In response, he initiated an immediate investigation into the incident and ensured that a replacement train was arranged from Agartala, equipped with proper facilities for the BSF personnel. He also instructed officials to prevent any recurrence of such negligence in the future.

The four railway personnel suspended include the Officer in charge of the Coaching Depot and three senior Section Engineers from the Alipurduar Division. The suspension orders have been implemented with immediate effect.

Following the controversy, the Northeast Frontier Railway issued a clarification on social media platform X, denying that the faulty coaches were intended for BSF transport. “The allegation that such a coach was provided to BSF for travel is incorrect. Coaches are only allotted for movement after due maintenance, cleaning and repairs,” the statement read. It further explained that the train shown in the viral video was actually en route for repairs and had been mistakenly linked to the BSF special service.