On the eve of the Ram Mandir consecration in Ayodhya on 22 January 2024, tensions escalated between two groups during a Ram Mandir rally in Naya Nagar, Mira Road, Mumbai, on the night of 21 January 2024. In this context, a video depicting a fire at a railway station is widely circulating on social media with the claim that it is from Mira Road railway station, Mumbai, and urging people not to visit. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video depicting Mira Road railway station being set on fire.
Fact: Western Railways provided clarification regarding the viral video, refuting false news, and confirming that no such incident occurred at Mira Road station. The viral video depicting fire at a railway station is from West Bengal, and dates back to April 2023. Various news agencies reported that this incident happened in Santhoshpur railway station in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district. There are no news reports about any such fire at the Mira Road railway station. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We conducted a relevant keyword search regarding the viral claim and found a tweet by Western Railway on 24 January 2024. In the tweet, they responded to a similar post through their official X handle, refuting the false news and confirming that no such incident took place at Mira Road station. They also shared a visual from the Mira Road station for further clarification.
Later, we conducted a reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the viral video to learn more about the viral video. This search led us to a YouTube video published by Sangbad Pratidin, a Bengali News channel, on 06 April 2023 which reported the same video with the description “Massive fire break out in Santoshpur station”.
Several other reports regarding this incident can be seen here & here. According to the Times of India, a massive fire broke out at Santhoshpur railway station in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district on 06 April 2023, in the evening around 5.30 pm when it was crowded with passengers waiting for trains. No casualties were reported at the time. Several small shops on the railway station platform were destroyed in the blaze. From this information, it is evident that the incident is from Bengal, which was not recent and doesn’t show the Mira Road railway station.
We also searched on the internet regarding this incident; however, we could not find any news reports indicating that Mira Road railway station was set on fire and a curfew was implemented. According to an India Today report, Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar (MBVV) Police have issued an order, instructing group administrators on instant messaging and social media platforms to ensure that no jokes, videos, or other forms of content related to clashes are forwarded, aiming to maintain communal harmony.
To sum it up, the viral video depicting a fire at a railway station is from West Bengal, not Mira railway station in Mumbai, and it dates back to April 2023.
