Kunal Kamra claims nearly 22,000 rail deaths in 2023; Railways “fact check” confirms 21,803
Netizens claim Railways’ response is not fact check, but ‘double verification’
New Delhi: Indian Railways’ social media fact-check account has responded to comedian Kunal Kamra’s claim in a viral video that nearly 22,000 people died in rail accidents in 2023, confirming the official figure as 21,803 and sparking widespread online trolling.
"Certain facts and footage in this video are misleading in nature and is an attempt to sabotage the image of Railways. Kindly refrain from sharing such misleading content," the Railways said in a post on X, attaching the comedian's pictures.
Kamra sought clarification on the reply, asking the Railways to point out the factual errors in his video. The subsequent response from the PSU provided detailed clarifications, leaving netizens surprised.
Kamra had claimed there were nearly 25,000 railway accidents in 2023, but the Railways clarified that the actual figure was 24,678 accidents. On his claim of nearly 22,000 deaths, the Railways confirmed the official count was 21,803 deaths for the year.
The post attracted widespread attention on social media, with users both trolling and debating the “fact check”. One user commented, “This is not fact check, this is double verification,” while another joked, “Are you dumb?” Others questioned the approximation, asking, “What is this fact check? Do you understand approximate?”
The Railways also addressed Kamra’s other claims. Regarding overworked loco-pilots with frequent night shifts, the Railways said the HOER law prescribes rest periods and working hours for them. Kamra’s statement that 400 track maintainers die annually was refuted, with the Railways clarifying that this figure is cumulative over several years and includes unrelated deaths.
On Kamra’s claims of numerous accidents due to signal failures, the Railways highlighted that there were 1,711 such incidents between 2004 and 2014, which fell drastically to 34 in 2023 and 10 so far this year. Signal failure details, it noted, are publicly available.
Refer to the details in the video for the correct facts.#IRFactCheck https://t.co/hdsfn2Wv3k pic.twitter.com/zYBW7SHiLC
— Railway Fact Check (@IRFactCheck) November 20, 2025
What? Are you defending or proving that what Kunal said was right? pic.twitter.com/DyIl0sSl5W
— Mayur Jadhav (@mayurjadhavpage) November 20, 2025
This not fact check, this double verification of claim 😂😂😂
— Galactus (@Galactsx) November 20, 2025
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka Minister urges Centre to launch Bengaluru–Vijayapura express train
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil has urged the Centre to launch an express train service between Bengaluru and Vijayapura.
The demand comes following the completion of the 9.60-km double-line railway work between Alamatti and Wandal, which has been open for traffic since March 25, the Minister's office said in a statement on Wednesday.
"He has written a letter regarding this on March 30 to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister V Somanna," it said.
In the letter, Patil stated that the Alamatti–Wandal section, part of the Gadag–Hotgi double-line project, has now been completed. During an earlier meeting, it was mentioned that once this work was finished, an express train between Bengaluru and Vijayapura could be introduced. He has now requested that this be given priority.
He highlighted that thousands of people from Vijayapura and Bagalkote districts travel daily to Bengaluru for education, healthcare, administrative work, and business, and this train service would greatly benefit them.
According to him, currently, the train journey between the two cities takes about 15 hours, which is inconvenient.
He stressed the need to reduce this travel time to around 10 hours.
The minister also requested that trains departing from Bengaluru be given a limited stops upto Hubballi, and that trains proceeding to Vijayapura should be routed via the Hubballi and Gadag bypass lines.
