New Delhi: Protests have been underway at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for the past several days, with demonstrators demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET paper leak issue. Protesters had announced a ‘Parliament March’ on July 20, during which clashes between demonstrators and Delhi Police were also reported. Several videos related to the confrontation have since been widely circulated on social media.
Amid this, a video showing a crowd allegedly pelting stones at a train has gone viral on social media. The video is being shared with the claim that protesters heading towards Jantar Mantar attacked a Hydrogen train parked at a railway station.
Sharing the video, a user named Manoj Singh wrote, ‘Brother, is your hostility directed at Modi or at the country? After Vande Bharat, now the Hydrogen train is being targeted! Protesters heading towards Jantar Mantar threw stones at a Hydrogen train parked at the station. You can protest against the government, but why damage the country’s property? All those seen in the video should be arrested and made to compensate for the damage. These so-called ‘protesters’ simply cannot tolerate the country’s progress! The nation comes first, everything else comes later.’
Another user, Baliyan, shared the same video and wrote,“What kind of youth pelts stones at one of the country’s greatest achievements? The Hydrogen train that was inaugurated two days ago does not belong to PM Modi; it is the country’s property. You will vandalize these trains and then make videos complaining that the trains do not have enough facilities? You also have to prove yourself worthy of those facilities, dear ones.”
Several other social media users also circulated the video, claiming that the incident showed protesters targeting a Hydrogen train.
Fact Check
Times Headline’s investigation found that the viral claim is misleading. The train seen in the video is not a Hydrogen train, and the incident has no connection with the ongoing student protests at Jantar Mantar.
To verify the video, we first extracted keyframes and conducted a reverse image search. During the investigation, we found a similar video posted by an Instagram user on June 14. The post identified the location as Patliputra Railway Station in Bihar.
A comparison of the visuals also revealed several similarities between the viral video and the older footage. The Overhead Equipment (OHE) visible in both videos appears identical. The iron railing installed between the two railway tracks also appears to be the same, indicating that the viral footage is linked to an earlier incident rather than the recent protests in Delhi.
Further investigation led us to a report by BBC Hindi, which featured visuals of the same train involved in the incident. The report showed the number ‘WAD 12B’ on the train. According to the report, a stone-pelting incident took place at Patliputra Railway Station in Patna, Bihar.
As per the report, a large number of candidates had gathered at the railway station while travelling to appear for the Bihar Constable examination. Some candidates reportedly demanded a special train, following which the situation escalated. The incident eventually led to stone-pelting at the railway station, prompting police to use lathi-charge to control the situation.
Reports on the incident were also published by Aaj Tak and ABP News.
According to an Aaj Tak report, candidates travelling to appear for the Bihar Police Prohibition Department recruitment examination protested at Patliputra Railway Station over inadequate train arrangements. During the protest, some candidates reportedly entered the railway tracks and attempted to stop trains. Stone-pelting and vandalism of an exam special train were also reported.
Similarly, an ABP News report stated that a large number of candidates had gathered at Patliputra Railway Station on June 14 ahead of the Prohibition Department examination, which was scheduled to be conducted in two shifts across various districts of Bihar. The candidates reportedly created a commotion at the station before the examination.
Northern Railway Rejects Viral Claim
The viral claim was also addressed by the official social media account of Northern Railway (@RailwayNorthern). Rejecting the claim that the train shown in the video was a Hydrogen train, Northern Railway stated, ‘The train seen in the video is not a Hydrogen train… It is a train operated by a WAG 12 locomotive. This is possibly an old video. The Hydrogen train is operating its services as per its scheduled timings.’।
The railway authority clarified that the train visible in the video is operated by a WAG 12 locomotive and is not a Hydrogen train. It also suggested that the video may be from an earlier incident, while confirming that the Hydrogen train continues to operate as per its scheduled service.
Conclusion
The Times Headline fact check establishes that the viral claim linking the video to the alleged stone-pelting of a Hydrogen train by protesters heading towards Jantar Mantar is misleading.
The video is actually associated with a stone-pelting incident reported at Patliputra Railway Station in Bihar in June. There is no evidence connecting the footage to the ongoing student protests in Delhi.
Northern Railway has also clarified that the train visible in the viral video is not a Hydrogen train, but a train operated by a WAG 12 locomotive. Therefore, the social media claim linking the old video to the ongoing student protests and alleging an attack on a Hydrogen train is false and misleading.