Railway Minister suspends four over dirty coaches

New Delhi

A controversy broke out after Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were provided with dirty and poorly maintained train coaches for their journey from Tripura to Jammu for Amarnath Yatra duty. Following public outrage over viral videos showing the condition of the coaches, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw suspended four railway officials and ordered an inquiry. He emphasized that the dignity of security forces is a top priority and such negligence would not be tolerated.

About 1,200 BSF jawans from 13 companies were scheduled to travel on a special train starting June 6, with stops across Tripura, Assam, and West Bengal. However, when the train arrived on June 9, its unhygienic condition shocked the personnel, who then recorded and shared videos that quickly gained attention on social media. This led to sharp criticism from the public and political figures.

The Northeast Frontier Railway initially denied the claims, saying the video was of an unexamined coach being sent for repairs and not meant for BSF use. Despite this, the Railway Ministry took swift action by suspending three senior section engineers and one depot officer from Alipurduar Rail Division. A clean, well-equipped train has now been arranged for the BSF troops.

The BSF deployment is part of the Centre’s larger security plan for the 38-day Amarnath Yatra, beginning July 3, which will involve over 42,000 personnel amid heightened security concerns following recent terror incidents.