Viral: Men destroy Indian Railways seat for a reel, shocking train vandalism video sparks outrage

In what has now become a depressing daily ritual of chasing internet fame, a new video is making the rounds online, showing exactly what happens when the hunger for likes completely overrides basic civic sense.The footage, which surfaced on May 2 via the X (formerly Twitter) account @TARUNspeakss, doesn't leave much to the imagination. A group of young men are seen inside an Indian Railways general coach. Their goal? Shooting a reel.The short video, which is being widely circulated across social media platforms, shows a young man smiling broadly as he deliberately rips apart the standard blue rexine cover of a train seat. His friend can be heard laughing in the background while recording the act on a smartphone.Later in the same clip, two other individuals are seen dangerously dangling from the exterior fittings of the moving train, blatantly violating safety norms to shoot a reel.Expressing disgust over the incident, the user shared the video and wrote, "How stupid one has to be to do this? See his smile while his friend is tearing the train seat cover apart. They think they achieved something here. This goes beyond civic sense. This is a punishable offense."The clip has amassed significant traction, drawing the immediate ire of netizens who tagged the official handles of the Ministry of Railways and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, urging them to intervene. Social media users were quick to identify the primary individual in the video as Ankit Toppo.The comment section under the viral post was flooded with demands for the arrest of the individuals involved."This isn't just a harmless prank, it's the destruction of taxpayer property. Jail them immediately," commented one user.Another wrote, "The audacity to smile while ruining the only comfortable thing in a general coach is sickening. Millions of people travel standing up in these coaches, and these guys are destroying the few seats available for a reel."This incident comes barely a week after the same X handle sparked a national debate on civic sense by sharing a video of Indian tourists caught stealing hotel property—including towels and a TV remote—from a luxury resort in Bali. Following the train seat vandalism, the online consensus is a unified plea for authorities to make a harsh, public example of the men to deter future digital content creators from risking public safety and property.