Authors
Claim: TTE Misbehaved with Migrant Worker Coming From Tamil Nadu
Fact: The video was recorded on the “Sampoorn Kranti Train” which travels from Delhi to Patna. Passenger being harassed for not having a ticket was not coming from Tamil Nadu
As news of migrants leaving the southern state of Tamil Nadu continues to surface, various unverified claims, videos, and pictures pertaining to the departure of Hindi-speaking workers from the region have been circulating on social media.
Yet another video is making rounds on social media, purportedly showcasing an incident aboard the Indian Railways’ “Sampoorna Kranti superfast” train. In the video, it is alleged that a ticket checker mistreated a labourer from Bihar who had travelled without a ticket after arriving from Tamil Nadu.
A Twitter user going by the name of Sintu Tiwari was among those who tagged the Ministry of Railways and the Railway Minister, Ashwini Vaishnav, in the viral video, writing, “Is it acceptable for ticket collectors to treat Bihari migrants fleeing Tamil Nadu in this manner, by giving them tickets like this? This ticket collector is not even in uniform.”
Another Twitter user Mukesh Chakraborty also tweeted the viral video with the caption, “Who is not familiar with TT and his rude behaviour, TT thinks that the train belongs to his father who refuses to understand human beings as human beings. Taking TT tickets like this from Biharis running away from Tamil Nadu, till when @RailMinIndia @narendramodi @AshwiniVaishnaw”
This video is being shared on Twitter and Facebook.
The archive of the viral video can be seen here.
Fact Check
Upon a thorough review of the viral video, we noticed several indicators that made us question the authenticity of the claim.
From the footage, it is evident that the ticket collector is holding onto a young man and requesting to see his ticket. When the individual fails to produce a valid ticket, the ticket collector begins to behave in a rude and inappropriate manner.
The young man is then charged a fine of Rs. 750. Additionally, we observed a person in the video mentioning the name “Sampurna Kranti Superfast,” likely referring to the train in question.
It is worth noting that all the individuals in the video spoke in a dialect of Hindi that is commonly used by people from eastern India.
We then scanned the comments on the post and found a comment made by the Indian Railways on March 08, 2023, in which the railway service had asked Sintu Tiwari for details of the viral incident.
A day later, on March 09, the railway service posted another comment tagging the Twitter handles of the Divisional Railway Manager of Danapur Junction and the General Manager of East Central Railway, stating that “the concerned authorities are to be informed”
We also found a reply by the Divisional Railway Manager of Danapur Junction made on March 9, informing that the “Concerned TTE has been suspended with immediate effect.”
Our investigation thus far has revealed that the incident in question occurred under the jurisdiction of the Danapur Junction of the East Central Railway, and it is highly likely that it took place aboard the “Sampoorna Kranti Superfast” train.
Continuing with our inquiry, we conducted a keyword search on YouTube, which led us to a more extended version of the video. This 16-minute video was posted on a YouTube channel named Run On Track and was uploaded on March 3rd, 2023.
The video has been shot in the form of a travel vlog and showcases the train journey of Sampoorna Kranti Superfast, train no. 1294, from New Delhi to Patna.
Upon closer inspection of both videos, we see that the viral clip has the exact same footage as the one uploaded on the “Run On Track” channel, specifically from 14:46 to 15:12. Thus, it is clear that the viral clip circulating on social media was sourced from the travel vlog created by the channel “Run On Track”.
When further spoke to Birendra Kumar, the Public Relations Officer of East Central Railway who confirmed that the video had no links to the recent migrant exodus in Tamil Nadu. “ Appropriate action has been taken in the matter and the concerned TTE has been suspended with immediate effect. Giving information about the passenger, he said that “the passenger was not coming from Tamil Nadu. This train runs only from Patna to Delhi,” he confirmed.
Conclusion
Thus, based on our investigation, we infer that the video showing a man being harassed and fined for not having a ticket did not board the train from Tamil Nadu. Additionally, it can be established that the footage was recorded on the “Sampoorn Kranti Train” which travels from Delhi to Patna. Hence, the incident has no link to the recent migrant exodus from Tamil Nadu.
Rating: False
Our Sources
Tweet from RailwaySeva
Youtube video posted on Run on TracK
Conversation with East Central Railway PRO, Birender Kumar
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