Indian Railways targets fake social media posts aimed at tarnishing its image

Representative Image

In recent months, Indian Railways has been increasingly targeted by misleading and incorrect material conveyed via social media platforms, said the Railways in a media statement. According to the railways, these bogus statements are frequently disseminated by social media accounts associated with significant political parties in an attempt to harm their image.

One such occurrence occurred in Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh, where a video of a train compartment falling off the track was misattributed to Indian Railways. The Railways swiftly confirmed that the event occurred at Anira Thamphal station and did not involve any Indian Railways locomotives, tracks, or waggons.

"One such incident occurred in Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh, where a video falsely claimed that a train compartment had derailed, implicating Indian Railways. The Railways swiftly refuted this claim, clarifying that the incident took place at Anira Thamphal station and involved no Indian Railways locomotive, track, or wagons," Indian Railways said in their statement.

Railway officials have raised alarm about the continued campaign of deception. "These false narratives and fake videos are part of an ongoing attempt to damage the reputation of Indian Railways by circulating them on social media," the Railways said.

In one such case, a video showing an engine stranded in a field was shared widely on social media by an unrecognised unit of the Kerala Congress, raising questions about the Railways' operations, they further said.

Screengrab of now-deleted tweet by Kerala Congress

Recently, a video from Karra mistakenly reported that a train had departed the station, while another video incorrectly claimed that a Vande Bharat train collided with another engine. The latter video was later found to be from Dhachali, not India. In another example, an old film showing a train climbing a platform was shared, and a nine-year-old occurrence in China was portrayed as taking place in India.

The Railways has detected this pattern as an attempt to tarnish its reputation at a time when it is being heavily modernised. Former Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw spoke in Parliament about how certain political groups, particularly those affiliated with the Congress and Samajwadi Party, have used trolls to magnify small occurrences and promote fake news. He gave an example of an ancient wall at Ayodhya railway station being wrongly displayed as part of a new station, resulting in widespread misconception.

Indian Railways advises the public to be wary of such bogus news and to rely on verified sources for correct information.

Indian Railways is currently undergoing significant modernisation and facing numerous challenges in infrastructure development. It is disheartening to see efforts to defame the Railways at such a crucial time. The public is urged to rely on verified information and be cautious of fake news circulating on social media, the Railways said.