A video showing two men setting fire to train seats is being widely shared across social media platforms, with claims that the video is recent (here, here, & here) and that the individuals seen setting fire to the seats are Muslims. While sharing the same video, some users on social media claim that the people seen setting fire to the seats are illegal migrants from Bangladesh and Pakistan, while others link it to the 2025 Prayagraj Maha Kumbh Mela. In this article, we will fact-check the claims made in these posts.
Claim: A video showing two Muslim men setting fire to a train.
Fact: This viral video dates back to June 2022 and is related to the violent protest that took place at Secunderabad Railway Station in Telangana on 17 June 2022 against the Agnipath scheme. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) identified the individuals seen in the viral video as Santosh and Prithviraj (Pruthvi Raj). Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To gather details about this video, we conducted a Google reverse image search using the keyframes from the viral video. This search led us to a video (archived) shared by a Facebook page named ‘Railway Security Force (रेलवे सुरक्षा बल RPF)’ on 25 June 2022. From this, it is evident that the video is not recent. The description of the video states that it was filmed on 17 June 2022 at Secunderabad station in Telangana, and the individuals in the video have been identified as Santosh and Prithvi. It is also mentioned that the GRP and RPF police have arrested 60 people, including the two identified, in connection with criminal cases registered under various sections of the IPC, PDPP Act, and Railway Act.
Taking this as a cue, we conducted a relevant keyword search to gather more details about this video/incident. This search led us to a news video bulletin uploaded on the official YouTube channel of the ‘Hindustan Times’ on 23 June 2022, which featured visuals from the viral video. The description of this video reads: ‘A video of an alleged army aspirant setting train coaches from Secunderabad Railway Station in Telangana, on fire has now gone viral. In the video, the youth can be seen lighting cardboard and placing it between seats in the train to set it ablaze. Police have arrested the suspect Prithviraj from the video. The video has come to the fore 6 days after violent protests broke out in Telangana against Modi government’s new defence recruitment scheme – Agnipath.’ According to this report, the viral video was taken during a violent protest by army aspirants against the launch of the Agnipath scheme at Secunderabad Railway Station on 17 June 2022, and the report identifies one of the men in the viral video as Prithviraj.
During this search, we also found several news reports (here, here, & here) published in June 2022 featuring keyframes from the viral video which identified the two accused in the video as Santosh and Prithviraj. According to an ETV Bharat report, Santosh is a resident of Kamareddy district in Telangana, and Prithviraj is a resident of Adilabad district in Telangana. Some of these news reports included an official post from the Railway Protection Force (RPF), which also identified the two accused in the video as Santosh and Prithviraj. In response to the viral video, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) made a post on 24 June 2022. The post reads: ‘This video is of Secunderabad station on 17th June. Persons in the video identified as Santosh and Prudvi, 2 of more than 60 arrested by GRP/RPF in criminal cases registered under various sections of IPC, PDPP Act and Railways Act. More arrests will follow.’
Additional news reports about the violent protest held by army aspirants against the launch of the Agnipath scheme at Secunderabad Railway Station on 17 June 2022 can be seen here and here. According to these reports (here and here), the Railway Police have filed a case naming Prithviraj as A2 and Santosh as A5 in connection with the violence that occurred during the protest against the Agnipath scheme by army candidates at Secunderabad Railway Station on 17 June 2022. The Secunderabad Gopalapuram L&O Police have also registered two more cases (FIR no 223/2022 and FIR no 222/2022) in connection with the violence that took place outside the railway station, for damaging public property.
In the case registered by the Railway Police, Prithviraj was granted bail on 28 July 2022, and Santosh was granted bail on 1 August 2022. The trial for these cases is still ongoing in the respective courts.
To sum up, a video related to the violent protest that took place at Secunderabad railway station in June 2022 against the launch of the Agnipath scheme is being falsely shared as a recent incident with false claims.
