‘No civic sense’: Men spotted wearing Indian Railways bedsheets as shawls, video goes viral
Three men were recently spotted wearing what appeared to be Indian Railways bedsheets as shawls at a market, sparking a debate online. The white linen could be seen carrying the words “Western Railway”, raising questions about how railway property ended up being used outside a train. Men wearing Indian Railways bedsheets spark debate. (X/@GemsOfRailway)According to Gems of Railway, which shared the video on X, the bedsheets were allegedly stolen from a Western Railway train. The caption read, “Three men spotted in a market openly wearing Indian Railways bedsheets as shawls. The post also cited RTI data compiled across railway divisions, claiming that more than 1.27 crore bedroll items were reported stolen between January 2022 and May 2026, resulting in a cumulative loss of more than ₹104.51 crore.(Also Read: ‘I plan to prioritise India over rest of the globe’: Indian man after 10-day Europe trip amid heatwave)According to the post, the reported losses included 46.54 lakh face towels, 41.13 lakh bedsheets, 23.59 lakh pillow covers, 12.95 lakh blankets and 2.76 lakh pillows.“Over ₹104 crore of railway property lost, and some of it apparently ends up being used as everyday clothing,” the caption added.Take a look:What did internet users say?The video drew mixed reactions from social media users, with some criticising the alleged theft and others questioning the decision to film and publicly shame the men.“For civic sense problem, We need strict punishments, including caning, like Singapore. Indian Railways paradise for this people,” one user commented.Another took a different view, writing, “I don’t see a problem if people take some sheets for covering themselves in rain, gov has enough of our tax money to buy sheets, stop taking videos without permission and haras them online for your content, idiots like you have no right to morally educate because you think its wrong.”“These kinds of people have no civic sense,” another person wrote.A user also raised questions about the railway supply chain, commenting, “Check the contractor also. What if they are stealing bedsheets and reporting passenger’s name.”(Also Read: ‘AI has changed what I loved’: Software engineer says AI is making coding less meaningful)Internet suggests ways to prevent theftSome users suggested that Indian Railways could make its property more clearly identifiable to discourage people from taking or using it outside trains.“Maybe Indian railways should print in Bold saying ‘This belongs to the Indian Railways, if you see anyone wearing this or using this outside the train, they are theives’,” one comment read.Another user simply wrote, “Name and shame them.”(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
