NEW DELHI: A day after a video went viral showing dilapidated rail coaches requisitioned to transport over a thousand BSF personnel from Tripura to Jammu,
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw ordered the suspension of four railway officials responsible for the decision.
The BSF personnel were being moved for security duty for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra. Those suspended included a coaching depot officer and three senior section engineers from the Alipurduar division under the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) for undermining the dignity of the security forces and failing to allocate clean coaches.
An inquiry has also been ordered. The minister said such negligence would not be tolerated. The NFR initially denied the allegations, posting on X, “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.”
When the BSF personnel arrived to board the train on June 10, they found the coaches in “unhygienic” condition. The videos they recorded went viral and sparked a public outcry.
The Modi government faced a barrage of criticism. Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed said, “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. 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”.