Video of catering staff beating passenger over food prices in Jhansi viral, railways clarifies

The video, viral on social media, showed a group, alleged to be catering staff, beating the passenger with sticks and belts inside the compartment.

Published on: Nov 6, 2025, 16:55:44 IST

By HT News Desk

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A video of a passenger being allegedly beaten by the railway catering staff inside a train in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi has sparked a major controversy on social media, prompting the Indian Railways to respond to the matter.

The passenger, identified as Nihaal, was allegedly assaulted onboard the Andaman Express when he objected to being charged ₹130 for a vegetarian meal, saying that it was overpriced.

The video, which has gone viral on social media, showed a group of men, alleged to be catering staff, beating the passenger with sticks and belts inside the compartment. Other passengers can be seen trying to intervene and save the victim.

The victim narrated the incident on social media, stating that he was travelling with his family on August 25 from Vaishno Devi Katra to Bina, Madhya Pradesh. According to the claim, Nihaal was offered a vegetarian meal for ₹130, despite its price listed by IRCTC being ₹110. The man further went on to claim that he was beaten when he questioned the price.

Nihaal also claimed that he was discouraged by the officials when he tried to file a complaint at the Bina Station Police Post, telling him that he would have to travel to Gwalior multiple times to appear in court in the case.

“I am a middle-class student. I couldn’t afford to do this again and again,” he said, adding, “Now I apologise. I made a mistake by taking the food,” he said.

Railways says it's an old video

North Central Railway responded to the alleged incident in a post on the social media platform X, saying that the video is old and asked people to “not spread confusion”.

“This is an old video being posted in an attempt to mislead people. No FIR has been filed regarding any incident of this type occurring in Jhansi or nearby areas. Please do not spread confusion by posting old videos,” the statement read.

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HT News Desk
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