If you're even slightly active on social media, you have probably seen the
of the Vande Bharat Express train with a hammer. Social media users are angry and claiming that the man is a Muslim engaged in 'Rail Jihad'.
In reality, the Vande Bharat Express superfast train has been stoned multiple times. Recently, there was an incident of
on a Vande Bharat trial train in Bihar's Gaya.
shared the viral video, writing, “Train Jihad is at its peak... We don’t know where the video is from, but you can see how an ISIS module terrorist is breaking the glass of the 'Vande Bharat' train to execute his conspiracy. Repost the video so this terrorist can be caught.” Similar claims accompany hundreds of shares of the video on Facebook and Instagram.
Source: aajtak
A fact-check reveals that the viral video does not show a train being vandalized but rather captures a scene from the Ahmedabad Railway Maintenance Yard. Here, the broken glass is being replaced, and the man in the video is not Muslim.
How Did the Truth Come Out?
In the comments section of the viral posts, we found multiple
specifying that the man is breaking the glass to replace it. Close inspection of the video shows a crack at the very bottom of the glass.
Source: aajtak
An X account named “Trains of India” uploaded another video explaining that this is how broken glass of the Vande Bharat train is replaced. We also found several
showing the same.
Who is the Man Breaking the Glass?
To find the truth, we searched the video frames on the internet and found an Instagram account named @singare_mahi_manish with several videos of a man wearing the same shirt and of similar build, involved in Vande Bharat related activities. While the face is not visible in the viral video, a bearded profile is seen briefly. Thinking there may be a connection, we dug deeper.
Source: aajtak
We found that the man also uploads dance reels on Instagram, and some posts feature Gujarati posters. The account named 'Singer Manish' led us to contact several of his friends. One friend confirmed that Manish indeed works for a private company contracted for railway maintenance in Ahmedabad.
This friend, from Bihar's Ara district, said he recognizes the boy as his friend Manish and knows he repairs broken windows of the Vande Bharat train. Despite the face being partially hidden, he identified him based on the shirt, build, and prior knowledge.
Initially, railway officials had no information about the incident or the man. But upon recontacting them with all available details, two senior officials confirmed that the video is from an integrated coaching depot in Kankaria, Ahmedabad, during inspection of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Vande Bharat train, recorded 5-6 days ago.
The officials validated that the glass was being replaced. It was confirmed that the man is Manish Kumar Gupta, an employee of a company contracted by the railways. Manish had originally shared the video but deleted it after it went viral. We spoke to Manish, who admitted being in the video but was advised by his superiors not to discuss it.
Thus, it's clear that the video capturing the glass replacement in a railway maintenance yard is being misrepresented as an attack on the train with false claims of 'Rail Jihad'.
