Protests have been ongoing for several days at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak case. Protesters had announced a ‘Parliament March’ on July 20. Meanwhile, clashes were witnessed between protesters and the Delhi Police, videos of which are widely circulating on social media.
Additionally, a video is being shared on social media claiming that protesters heading to Jantar Mantar allegedly pelted stones at a hydrogen train. The video shows a crowd engaged in stone-pelting. Sharing this video, a user named Manoj Singh questioned whether the protesters’ opposition was directed at the government or the country itself. He claimed that after the Vande Bharat train, hydrogen trains are now being targeted and expressed frustration over the damage to national property, suggesting that those involved should be held accountable for the destruction.
Sharing the same video, a user named Baliyan wrote, “What kind of youth throws stones at their country’s finest achievement? The hydrogen train, which was inaugurated two days ago, does not belong to PM Modi but is the property of the nation. Will you destroy these very trains and then make videos claiming there are no facilities on the train? You also have to become worthy of these facilities, dear ones.”
Apart from this, many other users have also shared the viral video, claiming it shows stone-pelting on a hydrogen train, which can be seen here,here and here.
Fact Check:
During our investigation, we found that the claim of stone-pelting on a hydrogen train is misleading. Furthermore, Northern Railway also refuted the viral claim, denying any incident of stone-pelting involving the hydrogen train. To investigate the viral video, we first extracted keyframes from it and then performed a reverse image search. We found similar videos posted by various media outlets. An Instagram user had posted a similar video on June 14, stating that it was from Pataliputra Railway Station in Bihar. We found that the OHE (Overhead Equipment) visible in the viral video is exactly the same. Additionally, the iron grille installed between the two railway tracks is also identical.
Upon further investigation, we found a BBC Hindi report. The report shows the viral train with the number ‘WAD 12B’ written on it. According to BBC Hindi, “An incident of stone-pelting came to light at Pataliputra Railway Station in Patna, Bihar. According to the police, a group of students present at the station pelted stones. A massive crowd of candidates travelling to appear for the Bihar Constable examination had gathered at the railway station. Some of the candidates started demanding a special train. The commotion escalated to the point that stone-pelting also occurred at the railway station. The police subsequently resorted to a lathi-charge.”Additionally, we found media reports from Aaj Tak and ABP News.
The Aaj Tak report stated, “Candidates appearing for the Bihar Police Prohibition Department recruitment examination, angered by the lack of adequate train arrangements, descended onto the railway tracks at Pataliputra Station to protest. During the protest, the agitated students jumped onto the tracks, stopped trains, pelted stones, and vandalised the examination special train.”Meanwhile, the ABP News report stated, “A massive uproar took place at Pataliputra Station in Patna. The commotion was created by candidates appearing for the Prohibition Department examination. The examination centres had been set up across various districts of Bihar, and the candidates who reached Pataliputra Station created a huge ruckus even before the examination began.”
During further investigation, we also came across a post from Northern Railway (@RailwayNorthern), which debunked the viral claim and stated, “The train seen in the video is not a hydrogen train. It is a train operated by a WAG 12 locomotive. This is probably an old video. The hydrogen train is operating according to its scheduled timetable.”
Conclusion:
It is clear from DFRAC’s fact-check that the viral claim of stone-pelting on a hydrogen train is misleading. The viral video actually shows a stone-pelting incident that took place at Bihar’s Pataliputra Railway Station in June. Northern Railway has also refuted the claim, clarifying that the train seen in the video is not a hydrogen train but one operated by a WAG 12 locomotive, and that the video is likely old.
