New Delhi: A day after videos on social media showed unhygienic and dilapidated coaches on a train that was meant to carry Border Security Force (BSF) jawans from the Northeast region to Jammu and Kashmir for deployment during the Amarnath Yatra, Union minister for railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said that “action had already been taken”.

In response to a question during a cabinet briefing on Wednesday (June 11), Vaishnaw interrupted the reporter who was asking him about the condition of the coaches and said four officers who were responsible were suspended, without providing any further details about why such coaches were provided in the first place.

“Action had already been taken yesterday. That train rake was replaced yesterday … and the four officers who were responsible for this have also been suspended,” said Vaishnaw.

Vaishnaw’s response came after videos on social media showed coaches in dilapidated condition, including with broken windows, dirt strewn across floors, and unhygienic and broken toilet doors.

The videos surfaced just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the world's highest railway arch bridge – the Chenab Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir – and flagged off two Vande Bharat trains between Katra and Srinagar.

In response to one of the videos circulating on social media, the Northeast Frontier Railway said on X that reports that such coaches were provided to the BSF were “incorrect”.

“The allegation that BSF was provided such kind of coach for travel is incorrect. Coaches are provided for travel only after necessary maintenance, repairs and cleaning. This video is of an unexamined coach which was being sent for repair and was not meant for travel of BSF forces,” the railway division claimed.

However, ThePrint reported that a BSF officer leading the movement of troops wrote a letter to the Agartala station manager on Tuesday highlighting the delay in the arrival of their train by 72 hours as well as “unhygienic/filthy and inhumane conditions” in which the troops were meant to travel.

“A CAPF [Central Armed Police Forces] special train for Amarnath ji Yatra duty was requisitioned well in advance and was scheduled to be placed at Udaipur railway station (Tripura) on June 6, 2025. However, due to inexcusable delay best known to NF [Northeast Frontier] railway, the train was made available only on June 9, 2025 and placed at Udaipur station on June 9 at 18:30 hours,” the letter reportedly said.

The letter further said that in such unhygienic conditions, it was not possible for troops to make the long journey to Kashmir.

“In the circumstances narrated above, it is not possible for troops to travel such a long distance journey in unhygienic/filthy and inhumane conditions. There are all possibilities that most of them may fall sick even before deployment,” the officer was quoted as writing in the letter.

Opposition parties on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government of doublespeak.

“Ask for votes in the name of armed forces at election rally. Give a filthy broken train to BSF jawans for travel. Narendra Modi sarkar=jumla sarkar,” said Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose.

The videos were also shared by the Congress’ social media handles, which accused the Modi government of “chest-thumping patriotism online”.

“1200 BSF Jawans were supposed to travel to Amarnath before the pilgrimage starts. This is the train they were given. They refused to travel in this hell hole sent by Ashwini Vaishnaw. The result? A 72-hour delay in deploying soldiers on critical duty,” said the Congress’s Kerala handle.

“But don’t worry, half the Vande Bharats run nearly empty, and there’s no shortage of chest-thumping patriotism online. Just wrap Modi in Army fatigues, post a tweet and call it a day.”

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