Eastern Railway (ER) has launched a sweeping enforcement drive against unauthorised track trespass and social media reel-making on live railway lines across West Bengal, registering 828 prosecution cases and arresting 853 individuals in just three months between 1 May 2026 and 31 July 2026. The crackdown, ordered by General Manager Gitika Pandey, targets a growing trend of content creators risking their lives — and disrupting train operations — for viral footage.

Scale of the Crackdown

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Eastern Railway invoked Section 147 of the Railways Act across its four divisions — Howrah, Sealdah, Asansol, and Malda. Security personnel detected 813 cases in the period. Beyond prosecutions, 6,608 penalty cases were registered, with court fines totalling ₹3,18,220 and administrative penalties amounting to ₹33,12,900.

Division-Wise Numbers

The Malda division logged the highest prosecution count at 298 cases, with 288 detected cases, 300 arrests, 1,145 penalty cases, ₹37,500 in fines, and ₹5,78,500 in penalties. Sealdah followed closely with 282 prosecution cases, 277 detected cases, 300 arrests, 1,434 penalty cases, ₹1,38,500 in fines, and ₹7,18,500 in penalties.

Asansol recorded 152 prosecution cases, 152 detected cases, 156 arrests, 561 penalty cases, ₹90,900 in fines, and ₹2,82,000 in penalties. Howrah saw 96 prosecution cases, 96 detected cases, 97 arrests, 3,468 penalty cases, ₹51,320 in fines, and ₹17,33,900 in penalties — the highest penalty case count of any division.

What Officials Said

A senior ER official warned that the consequences of track intrusion are irreversible. 'In an effort to create sensational videos, such people often get close to running trains, landing in life-threatening situations. Railway tracks are designated operational transport corridors; they are neither pedestrian shortcuts nor sets for clicking photographs and filming social media reels. A single moment of distraction or misjudgement on the tracks can take away a precious life forever,' the official said.

The official further noted that it is technically impossible for a loco-pilot or motorman to halt a train within a short distance upon spotting a person on the tracks — underscoring the zero-margin-for-error nature of such intrusions.

Infrastructure Already in Place

Eastern Railway has pointed out that the network has constructed an extensive grid of Foot Over Bridges (FOBs), Road Over Bridges (ROBs), and Road Under Bridges (RUBs) to provide safe crossing alternatives, making track trespass entirely avoidable. ER Chief Public Relations Officer Shibram Majhi appealed directly to the public: 'No social media video or shortcut is worth risking your life. We earnestly request everyone to use designated bridges and crossings, because your safety is our utmost priority.'

Enforcement Alone Is Not Enough

The drive is being overseen by IG-cum-Principal Chief Security Commissioner Amiya Nandan Sinha, who has directed all divisional security heads to maintain strict legal enforcement. However, authorities have acknowledged that punitive action alone cannot resolve the problem — public self-awareness and behavioural change remain critical. This comes amid a broader national concern over the rise of dangerous social media stunts on transport infrastructure, a trend that has claimed lives across multiple states in recent years.