Around 1200 BSF jawans deployed for security for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, refused to board a train from Udaipur to Jammu on Monday after finding it to be in an extremely poor condition.
The train provided was in such a horrible state that jawans refused to travel in it. A video of the same is going viral on social media which shows broken windows, no upper births, basically, just a dilapidated train. Following this, the BSF took up the matter with the Indian Railways, who sent a replacement train that was in a better condition.
The video sparked a debate online over the treatment of India’s security forces. Journalist Rajdeep Sardesai too took to X and wrote, “1,200 BSF jawans deployed for Amarnath Yatra security were to travel from Udaipur to Jammu on Monday, but the train provided was in such poor condition that the personnel refused to travel.”
The BSF later clarified that while concerns were raised with railway authorities, no ruckus or disorder was created by the jawans. The issue was handled through official communication, leading to a quick resolution.
Northeast Frontier Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer K K Sharma told The Print that the coaches seen in the viral videos were not intended for passengers but were added to the train for maintenance or periodic overhauling. These coaches were clearly marked as non-passenger and were supposed to be transported for servicing.
According to Sharma, some Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel mistakenly boarded these maintenance coaches, which caused confusion and led to the misunderstanding. Once the error was identified, the two coaches were removed from the train at Agartala.
He added that all concerns raised by the CAPF personnel have since been addressed, and the train has resumed its journey to the intended destination.The Amarnath Yatra is set to begin later this month under tight security.