Train horror for troops: BSF jawans en route to Amarnath duty get filthy coaches; Railways suspend 4 officials
NEW DELHI: A controversy arose after Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were allocated a train with damaged and unhygienic coaches for their journey from Tripura to Kashmir for Amarnath Yatra duty.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw acknowledged the situation and responded by suspending four officials and initiating an inquiry.
The minister's response was shared by Railways support account, Railway Seva, where users had criticised the railways after videos of the train's poor condition was shared by Congress Spokesperson Dr Shama Mohamed on X. "This is what happens when the government's entire focus is on PR for a few flashy trains, while the masses are forced to travel like animals," she said, calling out PM Modi and Vaishnaw for "providing a filthy train—full of dirt, cockroaches, and broken seats—for our BSF soldiers heading for Amarnath Yatra duty.
"
The Railways, replied by sharing a video of Vaishnaw, in which he can be heard responding to reporter's question saying, "Action was taken on this yesterday itself. The train's rake was changed. Four officers who were responsible for this have been suspended."
The suspended official includes the Coaching Depot Officer of Alipurduar and three senior Section Engineers of Alipurduar Division. "A few coaches of the train initially allotted to our jawans were in poor condition. The issue was brought to the attention of
Indian Railways
through an official letter.
Following this, a replacement train was arranged. The jawans will now continue their journey," it said, quoted by ANI.
The BSF also clarified amid reports of 1,200 BSF personnel refusing to travel for deployment to the Amarnath Yatra.
The issue was reported to Indian Railways through an official letter. Subsequently, a replacement train was arranged, allowing the jawans to continue their journey.
Approximately 1,200 BSF personnel from 13 companies were set to board a special train on June 6 from Udaipur, Tripura, to Jammu Tawi.
The journey included several stops to collect troops from various locations across Tripura, Assam and West Bengal. The troops were part of additional central forces deployment for the Amarnath Yatra, scheduled from July 3 in Jammu and Kashmir.
The BSF received the train on June 9, and upon inspection, troops documented the poor and unsanitary conditions of the coaches through video recordings.
The widespread circulation of these videos showing the unsuitable state of the coaches prompted significant criticism, requiring senior railway officials' attention.
On June 10, the Northeast Frontier Railway refuted allegations about providing substandard coaches, stating the filmed coach was destined for repairs and not intended for BSF use.
The Amarnath Yatra will continue for 38 days until August 9. The Centre has authorised deployment of 581 CAPF companies, comprising approximately 42,000 personnel.
Enhanced security measures are being implemented as the pilgrimage, previously targeted by terrorists, occurs following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that resulted in 26 casualties, primarily tourists.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
a minute ago
- NDTV
Shashi Tharoor Not On Op Sindoor Debate List, Congress Sources Say He Declined
New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor evaded a question on whether he would speak during the special discussion in the Parliament on Operation Sindoor today, amid reports that he is not among the speakers chosen by his Congress party. Mr Tharoor was in the Parliament complex ahead of the resumption of the Monsoon session when an NDTV journalist asked him if he was among the speakers who would lead the charge against the government over the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor. The MP from Thiruvananthapuram walked away without answering, only to turn back when a colleague, Renuka Chowdhury, called him. The reporters present there then turned to Ms Chowdhury and asked her if she would like Mr Tharoor to speak in the Parliament today. "He is constitutionally empowered to speak anywhere. Who am I to give permission?" she replied. Mr Tharoor had led arguably the most important delegation to the US during the outreach initiative following Op Sindoor - a move that is believed to have intensified an apparent rift between the senior leader and the Congress leadership.
The Hindu
a minute ago
- The Hindu
Sonia, Kharge, Rahul, Akhilesh join Opposition leaders in protest against SIR
Several MPs of the INDIA bloc parties, including Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, protested in the Parliament House complex on Monday (July 28, 2025) against the Election Commission's voter roll revision in Bihar, and demanded its rollback. Read:Parliament Monsoon session LIVE Day 6 Ahead of the day's proceedings in Parliament, top Opposition MPs, including Ms. Sonia Gandhi, Mr. Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, TMC's Derek O'Brien and Sagarika Ghose, DMK's Kanimozhi and A. Raja, besides others, raised slogans and protested against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. There was a huge banner in front of them which read 'SIR- Attack on Democracy' as they lined up on and near the steps of the Makar Dwar of Parliament and staged a protest for the fifth consecutive day. With 'Stop SIR' placards in hand, several MPs of the opposition, including those of the Congress, DMK, TMC, Samajwadi Party, RJD and Left parties, participated in the protest and raised slogans. The Opposition has been protesting in both Houses of Parliament against the SIR, alleging the EC's exercise was aimed at "disenfranchising voters" in Bihar ahead of the Assembly elections. They have been demanding a discussion on the issue in both Houses. On Friday (July 25, 2025), several MPs of the INDIA bloc parties, including Mr. Kharge and Mr. Rahul Gandhi, had held an unusual protest in the Parliament House complex against the voter roll revision in Bihar by tearing posters with 'SIR' written on them and putting them in a 'disposal bin'. They had also staged a protest march in the complex, demanding the rollback as well as a discussion on the issue in both Houses.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
a minute ago
- Business Standard
US V-P Vance to visit Ohio to push Republicans' sweeping new tax law
Vice President JD Vance is hitting his home state on Monday to continue promoting the GOP's sweeping tax-and-border bill. He will be in Canton, Ohio, to talk about the bill's benefits for hardworking American families and businesses, according to his office. Aides offered little detail in advance about the visit, but NBC News reported that his remarks will take place at a steel plant in Canton, located about 60 miles south of Cleveland. The visit marks Vance's second trip this month to sell the package, filled with a hodgepodge of conservative priorities that Republicans have dubbed the One Big, Beautiful Bill as the vice president becomes its chief promoter on the road. In West Pittston, Pennsylvania, Vance told attendees at an industrial machine shop that they should be able to keep more of their pay in their pockets, highlighting the law's new tax deductions on overtime. Vance also discussed a new children's savings programme called Trump Accounts and how the new law promotes energy extraction, while decrying Democrats for opposing the bill that keeps the current tax rates, which would have otherwise expired later this year. The legislation cleared the GOP-controlled Congress by the narrowest of margins, with Vance breaking a tie vote in the Senate for the package that also sets aside hundreds of billions of dollars for Trump's immigration agenda while slashing Medicaid and food stamps. The vice president is also stepping up his public relations blitz on the bill as the White House tries to deflect attention away from the growing controversy over Jeffrey Epstein. The disgraced financier killed himself, authorities say, in a New York jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. Trump and his top allies stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein's death before Trump returned to the White House and are now reckoning with the consequences of a Justice Department announcement earlier this month that Epstein did indeed die by suicide and that no further documents about the case would be released. Questions about the case continued to dog Trump in Scotland, where he on Sunday announced a framework trade deal with the European Union. Asked about the timing of the trade announcement and the Epstein case and whether it was correlated, Trump responded: You got to be kidding with that." No, had nothing to do with it, Trump told the reporter. Only you would think that." The White House sees the new law as a clear political boon, sending Vance to promote it in swing congressional districts that will determine whether Republicans retain their House majority next year. The northeastern Pennsylvania stop is in the district represented by Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan, a first-term lawmaker who knocked off a six-time Democratic incumbent last fall. On Monday, Vance will be in the district of Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes, who is a top target for the National Republican Congressional Committee this cycle. Polls before the bill's passage showed that it largely remained unpopular, although the public approves of some individual provisions such as increasing the child tax credit and allowing workers to deduct more of their tips on taxes.
