The Border Security Force (BSF) on Tuesday lodged a formal protest with the Indian Railways after a special train meant to carry over 1,200 personnel from the Northeast to Jammu and Kashmir for Amarnath Yatra duty arrived with what officers called "unhygienic and dilapidated" coaches.

The deployment, critical to the upcoming Yatra scheduled from July 3 to August 9, was already delayed by over 72 hours.

A commandant-level officer termed the delay in allotting the special train by the Northeast Frontier Railway as “inexcusable,” stating that the troops—scheduled to report in Jammu and Kashmir by June 12 could only begin their journey by Tuesday evening.

Seemed like the issue erupted into a national issue after a video showing the state of the coaches went viral on social media.

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The footage revealed broken windows, missing upper berths, and visibly poor conditions inside the train.

In protest, the jawans refused to board the train from Udaipur to Jammu on Monday.

Following this, BSF officials escalated the issue, prompting the Indian Railways to send a replacement train in improved condition.

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On Wednesday, June 11, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav was asked a question related to the video of the train going viral on social media during the cabinet briefing. The Union Minister started answering even before the question was completed. Ashwini Vaishnav said, "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."

Netizens slam govt

The incident quickly snowballed on X, with journalists and citizens calling out what they described as the government’s continued apathy toward frontline forces.

Veteran journalist Rajdeep Sardesai posted,

“1,200 BSF jawans deployed for Amarnath Yatra security were to travel from Udaipur to Jammu on Monday, but the train provided was in such poor condition that the personnel refused to travel. A new train has now been arranged. BSF has now clarified that the BSF officials raised the issue with Railways and a better condition train was then provided. BSF claims no ruckus was created by BSF jawans.

Qs: when will we treat our brave jawans better??? We sleep well because they patrol our borders night and day! Wake up India!”

Trinamool Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose, also weighed in sharply, invoking the 2019 Pulwama attack in her criticism of the Modi government:

“It was the limitless and HIMALAYAN INCOMPETENCE of @narendramodi government that led to CRPF jawans being forced to travel by BUS (when they should have been flown) that made them vulnerable to 2019 Pulwama terror massacre.

Same HIMALAYAN INCOMPETENCE of Modi govt now results in filthy broken train given to BSF jawans.”

Railways responds, blames ‘maintenance coaches’

The Northeast Frontier Railway offered its own version of the incident.

Speaking to The Print, K.K. Sharma, Chief public relations officer, said that the coaches shown in the viral video were never meant for passengers and were added to the train for maintenance purposes.

“These were non-passenger coaches meant for periodic overhauling and were clearly marked as such. Some CAPF personnel mistakenly boarded these coaches, which caused the confusion,” Sharma said.

He added that the error was identified, and the problematic coaches were removed at Agartala. The train was then fitted with acceptable coaches and resumed its journey toward Jammu.

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“Not a train, this is insult”: Public anger mounts

The video has sparked a wider conversation on the state’s treatment of its security forces.

Netizens questioned why lavish arrangements were made for IPL players while jawans were expected to travel in squalor.

Just last month, when an IPL 2025 match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals was affected by rain in Dharamshala, the Ministry of Railways arranged a special Vande Bharat train to ferry players, commentators and crew to Delhi. The official IPL account even shared a promotional video of their journey.

One user on X wrote: “Why no Vande Bharat trains for our soldiers! This is not a train, this is insult to our armed forces. Politicians wear armed forces uniform, click pictures and place hoardings! But look how they treat brave jawans... this is hypocrisy at next level!”

Another posted, “Congratulations! India has become the 4th largest economy in the world, with a defence budget of $80 billion. Yet, soldiers still have to protest just to get a proper train.”

BSF clarifies, says no disorder by troops

The BSF has since issued a clarification stating that while concerns were indeed raised, there was no indiscipline or ruckus created by the jawans.

The issue, according to the force, was handled through official communication with the railways and resolved amicably.

The episode, however, remains an embarrassment for the government, which has consistently praised the BSF for its critical role in internal security. Just weeks ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself said,

“I salute every individual of the Air Force, Navy, Army, and BSF. Their courage is the armour of our sovereignty.”