Railway officials suspended after BSF flags ‘unhygienic’ train coaches

The Union Ministry of Railways has suspended four officials after the Border Security Force flagged the “unhygienic” and “filthy” condition of a special train allotted for the movement of 1,200 personnel from Tripura to Jammu and Kashmir, The Indian Express reported on Thursday.

The train was allotted to the paramilitary force on Monday for moving its troops, who will be deployed during the Amarnath Yatra from July 3 to August 9, from Udaipur station to Jammu Tawi.

The Amarnath Yatra is a Hindu pilgrimage to the Amarnath Cave in the Himalayas, a sacred site for the deity Shiva. The upcoming yatra is the first major pilgrimage in Jammu and Kashmir after terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22.

The Union government had earlier sanctioned the deployment of 581 companies of paramilitary personnel to ensure adequate security for the pilgrimage, The Indian Express reported.

On Tuesday, the BSF train commandant submitted a complaint to the North Eastern Railway, stating that it was “not possible for troops to travel such a long distance” in the dilapidated coaches, according to the newspaper.

The officer, in the complaint to the Agartala Station Manager, sought the immediate replacement of the dilapidated coaches.

The complaint stated that the interiors of the coaches, including toilet doors, were broken, The Indian Express reported. It added that the train was also infested with...

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