A false terror alert on the Hirakund Express halted the train after a passenger wrongly accused three Muslim travellers during a seating dispute, prompting a major security check but no real threat.
Qalam Times News Network
New Delhi | 3 December 2025
A routine seating dispute spirals into a full-scale security response after a man wrongly accuses three Muslim travellers of being terrorists.
Terror alert — that was the phrase that jolted the Hirakund Express into an unscheduled halt on Sunday, after a passenger phoned authorities claiming that three fellow travellers posed a threat. What unfolded later showed that the alarm had far more to do with anger and prejudice than with any real danger.
Police said the chaos began inside a crowded general compartment, where an argument over seating took an ugly turn. The accuser, identified as Ramesh Paswan, allegedly lashed out during the quarrel and branded three Muslim passengers — H. Bilal Jilani, Ishan Khan, and Faizan — as “terrorists,” triggering the so-called terror alert that forced an immediate security response.
The train was brought to a halt at Datia railway station in Madhya Pradesh, where RPF personnel, local police and GRP teams boarded the coach. Sniffer dogs and search teams combed through the space, and the four passengers involved in the argument were taken off the train for questioning. A second round of checks was later carried out at Jhansi as well.
Authorities found no suspicious items, explosives, or evidence of any threat. After roughly 30 minutes, the train was cleared to resume its journey toward Visakhapatnam. All four individuals were released following interrogation.
Officials later remarked that a mere false accusation — fuelled by communal bias — was enough to disrupt operations, panic passengers, and divert security resources. For now, no criminal charges have been announced, though the incident has drawn sharp criticism from civil-liberty groups and frequent train travellers.
