Varanasi Junction has come under scrutiny after a video surfaced online on Sunday showing a differently- abled passenger struggling to climb a non-functional escalator at the busy railway station.
The clip, widely circulated on social media platforms, captured the man attempting to pull himself up the stationary steps at Platform 8, along with his luggage, prompting widespread criticism over inadequate accessibility facilities.
According to posts on social media, the escalator had remained out of service for the past three days.
The Telegraph Online hasn't independently verified the video.
The incident triggered concern among passengers and citizens who questioned the state of assistance infrastructure at the station and the broader challenges faced by people with disabilities in public spaces.
Railway officials said the escalator had been switched off due to a power outage. They added that safety protocols required a mandatory reset after restoration of electricity.
The Lucknow Division of Northern Railway stated in a post on X on Sunday that a power supply disruption occurred on 24 November from 11:30 pm to 14:40 pm and that supply was immediately shifted to DG backup.
The division said that escalators require safety resets after power is restored and that it took about eight minutes to restart all units. It added that all escalators and lifts are currently fully operational.
The video prompted several reactions from social media users. “90% of escalators and lifts don't work at the station”, wrote one user on X.
“I’m not sure when this video was recorded, but whenever it’s from, the Railway should feel ashamed. What’s the point of installing an escalator if it’s going to remain switched off? A differently-abled person is struggling, yet the machine is still not operational. Do your job, Railway authorities,” wrote another.
“None of our public places are disabled friendly, unfortunately!” a third user commented.
Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh and is represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has won from the seat three times.
