Indian Railways cautions passengers against fake news

New Delhi: The Indian Railways has announced strict action against social media handles that are circulating misleading or old videos linked to train operations during the ongoing festive rush.

Such misleading videos create unnecessary panic among passengers, forcing the administration to enhance its digital vigilance enforcement, the railways said in a statement.

"There is a group of fake profiles on twitter and other such platforms like Instagram, Youtube, sharing images of overcrowding at platforms, trains and stations to create havoc," the railways said adding that it has identified more than 20 social media accounts for posting false or manipulative clips, and the process of filing FIRs against them has already started.

"When traced, all the posts were tracked down and identified to be old videos of previous years. The people who are creating nuisance over social media through sharing old videos are getting booked under Railway Act, section 145 (B), in which the offenders may be punishable with imprisonment up to six months, " the statement added.

The ministry has also activated a 24/7 social media monitoring mechanism to keep track and report such activity in real time.

The Railways have advised citizens not to share unverified videos of crowded stations or train delays and to depend on official communication channels. Travellers have been urged to check updates through the verified social media accounts of the Ministry of Railways on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

"There will be no leniency will be shown to those attempting to mislead the public or tarnish the reputation of Indian Railways through the spread of fake, doctored, or old content. One such action has already been This action marks a zero-tolerance approach by Indian Railways against digital misinformation campaigns and reaffirms its commitment to ensuring safe, reliable, and transparent communication with passengers, " the statement said.

Many people have also turned up in favour of Indian Railways calling it as #YatriJihad, claiming this to be politically motivated and being shared by multiple fake handles just for views and most of them not filed any complaints with Railway handles, the railways said.