NEW DELHI, Dec 30: A video going viral on the social media showing water being sprayed on people sleeping on a railway platform has caused outrage on the internet.
The video was of Charbagh railway station, Lucknow, where the sanitation workers were caught on the camera dousing sleeping passengers with water late at night to wake them up and clear the platform for cleaning.
The incident reportedly took place on December 25, on platforms 8 and 9. The footage has since gone viral on social media, with many calling the act “inhuman” and “highly condemnable.” The incident reportedly occurred on December 25 on platforms 8 and 9.
The video, shared by the NGO Innovation For Change, opens with a man condemning the actions of sanitation workers stating that they have “crossed all limits of humanity.”
It then transitions to show workers filling mugs with water and throwing them on people sleeping on the platform, forcing them to vacate the area. Towards the end of the video, the man confronts a supervisor overseeing the cleaning. The supervisor defends the actions, claiming people can rest again once the platform is cleaned. In response, the man questions how anyone could sleep on a wet floor during a chilly winter night.
After the video sparked outrage on social media, SM Sharma, the Divisional Railway Manager of the Lucknow Division, counselled the staff involved and urged passengers to avoid sleeping on platforms. “The CHIs (common health inspectors) & sanitation staff at the station have been appropriately counselled,” the DRM said in a statement.
He further added, “Passengers are also advised to avoid sleeping on the platforms. The station provides adequate facilities, including waiting halls, dormitories and retiring rooms, which passengers are encouraged to utilise.”
(Manas Dasgupta)
