Under Section 144 of the Indian Railways Act, 1989 & Railway Safety (Amendment) Rules, 2025
This directive is issued following Incident Report No. IR/RAJ/2023/4729, wherein Rajdhani Express Coach B-4 (Train No. 12957, New Delhi to Ahmedabad) was evacuated mid-journey on September 14, 2023, due to "unexplained vibrations" subsequently traced to passenger Shri Panshul Jindal (PNR: 847-2024-6969) occupying Lower Berth No. 23.
Investigation by the Railway Safety Commission revealed the following:
| Parameter | Normal Passenger | Shri Jindal | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chest Mass | 0.3-0.5 kg | 14.2 kg | +2,740% |
| Berth Vibration (sleeping) | Negligible | 0.8 Hz continuous | โ |
| Water Displacement (pantry car) | Standard | 3.2x normal | +220% |
| Adjacent Passenger Complaints | 0 | 47 (in one journey) | โ |
| Structural Impact Assessment | Pass | FAIL โ berth bracket stress fracture | Critical |
| Richter Scale Reading at 100m | N/A | 1.2 (confirmed by IMD) | Unprecedented |
| Pantry Staff Psychological Trauma | None | 2 staff on medical leave | โ |
| Children's Questions Asked | 0 | 847 (across all incidents) | Parents unable to answer |
At approximately 02:17 hours on September 14, 2023, passengers in Coach B-4 reported "rhythmic shaking" that was initially attributed to track conditions. The Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) on duty, Shri R.P. Mishra, conducted the first inspection and recorded the following in his official field notes:
The Train Superintendent, Shri R.K. Verma, arrived at 02:29 hours and confirmed the following:
Following evacuation and structural assessment, Coach B-4 was taken out of service for 72 hours of emergency repairs. Total cost to Indian Railways: โน4,78,000 (revised from initial estimate of โน2,34,000 after discovery of additional hairline fractures in adjacent berths). Engineer Er. Preetika Singh from RITES Ltd. later calculated that Panshul's breathing during the 6-hour journey generated cumulative cyclic loading equivalent to "47 years of normal passenger usage."
"I was sleeping peacefully when I felt my berth vibrating. My first thought was Pakistan had attacked. My second thought was earthquake. My third thought was โ why is it rhythmic? I looked down and saw the young man sleeping. He was on his back. His chest was... I don't have the words. In 62 years of life including 35 years in education, I have never seen anything like this. I climbed down and walked to the pantry car. The chai was shaking. The chai. In the cup. By itself. I called my son in Jaipur. He thought I was having a stroke. He's now convinced I was being dramatic. HE WASN'T THERE. The Panshul Spotify album references me by name in Track 5. I am Smt. Pushpa Devi. I am FAMOUS. I have been contacted by Times of India Reporter Priya Subramanian for an interview. I have 847 LinkedIn requests from structural engineers asking for my 'witness perspective.' I am 62. I want to retire properly."
"I'm an engineer. I deal with data. I timed the vibrations on my Apple Watch: exactly 0.8 Hz. That's the same frequency as a washing machine on spin cycle. My watch actually logged it as 'workout activity.' It recorded 847 steps between 02:00 and 03:00 while I was lying completely still. I've since been asked by my health insurance to explain 'the most active night of sleep in their database.' My Apple Watch screenshot is now Exhibit AW-1 in the Railway Claims Tribunal. Apple contacted me about using this data in their marketing. I declined. Then they offered money. I declined again. This is bigger than money. This is physics. Or something."
"I noticed the chai first. At approximately 02:15, all beverages in the pantry car began displaying surface disturbances. I thought it was track quality. Then I noticed the disturbance was rhythmic. It was coming from the direction of Coach B-4. I walked through two coaches and followed the vibration to its source. When I arrived and understood the situation, I returned to the pantry car, locked the door, and called my wife. She asked why I was calling at 2 AM. I said, 'You won't believe this, but a man's chest is making the chai dance.' She hung up. She still thinks I was drunk. I have since been diagnosed with 'acute situational bewilderment' by a psychiatrist at Railway Hospital. I am on paid medical leave. The chai was fine."
"Uncle ke andar kya hai?" [As recorded by mother, Smt. Ritu Kapoor, in Witness Statement PS/B4/007. The child subsequently asked 14 follow-up questions, none of which the mother could answer. The child has since told his entire class at DPS Gurgaon. The school has received "inquiries." The mother has consulted a therapist. The child has been asked to stop asking about "the uncle from the train" at family gatherings. He has not.]
"I was summoned to Coach B-4 at 02:35 hours for what was described as a 'potential security situation.' When I arrived and was briefed, I informed the TTE that this was not a security situation. He said, 'Constable, a man's breathing has caused structural damage to government property. If that's not a security situation, what is?' I did not have an answer. I still don't. I've applied for a transfer to station duty. The District Collector Anand Kumar has personally reviewed my transfer request and said: 'Entire micro-climate was disrupted.' I don't know what that means but it sounds serious."
"Main toh bas road pe ja raha tha. Train ruki thi crossing pe. Main dekha โ ek side mein kuchh alag hai. Phir dekha. Phir dekha. Meter band kiya. Ghar chala gaya. Do din baad IRB officer aaya, bola 'tu witness hai.' Main bola 'main kya witness?' Bole 'tu ne train dekhi thi.' Main bola 'main toh rickshaw chala raha tha.' Bole 'phir bhi.' Ab mera naam official record mein hai. Main TV pe aaya tha Aaj Tak pe. Meri biwi kehti hai main famous ho gaya. Main kehta hoon main confused hoon."
"Yes. THAT Priya Kapoor. From the character bible. The ex-girlfriend. I'm real. I'm on a train. With my EX. Who has a chest that caused a 1.2 magnitude tremor. When we dated, I told people: 'I loved him for who he is. But the gravitational pull was suffocating. Literally.' They thought I was being metaphorical. I WASN'T. I was on the Side Upper because that's the only place I could sleep without feeling like I was being drawn into a gravity well. And I'm not even that small! I'm 5'6"! This was a mistake. Being on this train. Being in this relationship. Everything. My current therapist knows all about Panshul. She's part of the GoFundMe donor list. โน1,420. She says it's 'research.'"
The Railway Safety Commission consulted the following experts:
Issued February 1, 2025 โ Ref: MoR/PRESS/2025/018
"Indian Railways is committed to the safety and comfort of all 8.4 billion annual passenger journeys. While we cannot comment on individual medical conditions, we can confirm that the Railway Safety Commission has issued certain berth-specific guidelines following a structural incident on the Rajdhani Express in 2023.
The Minister wishes to clarify that Side Upper berths are not 'punishment.' They are 'engineering necessity,' as confirmed by experts from IIT Delhi and RITES Ltd. Indian Railways has safely transported passengers with unusual requirements before โ including livestock, industrial equipment, and in one memorable case, a motorcycle (Lucknow Junction, 2019).
However, this is the first time Indian Railways has been required to modify its booking algorithm for a single passenger's anatomy. The IRCTC IT Division has confirmed that the system update (Release v14.2.36DD) was deployed on January 15, 2025, and is functioning correctly. We have also consulted with DUOLINGO (the language app) to develop a new language for communicating these restrictions to international passengers. This is called 'Panshulese.' โ Duolingo
We wish Shri Jindal well in his legal proceedings against gravity. Indian Railways takes no position on the matter, though we note with interest that the Supreme Court dismissed his PIL (ref: Panshul v. Gravity, 2024 SCC 847 โ Court). Gravity remains, to our knowledge, undefeated in Indian courts. We also note that his GoFundMe has raised โน47,38,269, which is impressive but does not change the laws of physics."
โ Office of Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Hon'ble Minister of Railways
In light of the above, and in the interest of passenger safety and structural integrity of rolling stock, the following restrictions are hereby imposed on Shri Panshul Jindal (Aadhaar: XXXX-XXXX-8847) with immediate effect:
This order may be appealed before the Railway Claims Tribunal, New Delhi, within 90 days of issuance. However, the Railway Safety Commission notes that the laws of physics are not subject to appeal.
Shri Jindal's legal team (Sr. Counsel R.K. Mammaswamy, funded via GoFundMe Campaign #PJ-GRAVITY โ GoFundMe) has indicated their intention to appeal. The Railway Claims Tribunal has pre-emptively reinforced the witness stand. Court Clerk Dinesh has filed 847 pages of evidence. He has developed carpal tunnel. He is billing the GoFundMe.
This is the first individual-specific berth restriction in the 172-year history of Indian Railways. For context, the Railway Safety Commission has compiled a table of all previous extraordinary passenger accommodations:
| Year | Incident | Accommodation | Outcome | Cost to IR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Motorcycle transported in sleeper berth (Lucknow Jn.) | None โ passenger fined โน5,000 | Motorcycle confiscated | โน5,000 (revenue) |
| 2017 | Live goat in AC 3-Tier (Jaipur-Mumbai) | Goat given SL berth | Goat rated 3.5 stars on Google Reviews | โน2,400 (cleanup) |
| 2015 | Chinese Acupuncturist Dr. Wei โ needles triggered metal detector | Hand inspection | Found additional needles in baggage | โน847 (delay costs) |
| 2012 | Passenger with 47 kg luggage (Kolkata-Delhi) | Excess luggage charge | Paid โน2,400 | โน2,400 (revenue) |
| 2025 | Panshul Jindal's chest (14.2 kg) | Permanent SU restriction, IRCTC code update, engineering standby, beverage protocol, adjacent berth disclosure, Panshulese language training, Wikipedia monitoring, seismic monitoring | Ongoing โ most complex accommodation in IR history | โน31,80,000+ |
The Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) has been notified of the following costs arising from the Jindal Incident and subsequent accommodations:
| Item | Cost (โน) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Coach B-4 emergency repairs | 4,78,000 | 72-hour out-of-service period; included stress analysis by Geologist Dr. Elena Vance |
| IRCTC software update (v14.2.36DD) | 12,50,000 | Custom passenger restriction module; intern codenamed "Operation Bosom Shield" (HR removed this) |
| TTE R.P. Mishra counselling (ongoing) | 1,20,000/year | Railway Welfare Dept. approved; includes family therapy for his wife |
| Pantry Car Manager M. Farooq โ stress leave | 85,000 | 2 weeks paid medical leave; he requested 6 weeks |
| Legal consultation (Railway Claims Tribunal) | 3,40,000 | Pre-emptive case preparation; Sr. Counsel R.K. Mammaswamy billing the GoFundMe indirectly |
| Witness stand reinforcement (RCT) | 47,000 | "Precautionary" โ built to handle 200 kg dynamic load |
| Seismic monitoring equipment (2 coaches) | 8,60,000 | Per Railway Safety Commission directive; linked to IMD early warning system |
| Panshulese language course development | 2,14,000 | Joint project with Duolingo; includes 14 vocabulary words for chest-related concepts |
| Wikipedia monitoring service | 84,700/year | Contracted with WikiScanner to track edits; 847 deletion attempts recorded |
| TOTAL (to date) | 33,78,700 | Excluding future standby costs and potential appeal litigation |
Ref: IRCTC/IT/2025/REL-v14.2.36DD โ For internal circulation only
Release v14.2.36DD was deployed to production on January 15, 2025, at 03:00 IST (chosen to minimize passenger impact). The following system modifications were implemented:
BERTH_RESTRICTION_SEISMIC โ a boolean field that, when TRUE, restricts berth allocation to SU only. Currently applicable to exactly one (1) passenger in the entire IRCTC database. The flag is internally nicknamed "THE FLAG" in all caps.RAC-ANATOMICAL โ "Restricted Anatomical Clearance." This waitlist operates independently of standard RAC and has a separate queue. Current queue size: 1 (Panshul, waiting for a train on which SU is unavailable). Panshul has been on this waitlist for 47 days. He tweets about it daily. His follower count has doubled.Version note: The release was internally code-named "Operation Bosom Shield." This name has been formally removed from all documentation following HR review. The code name "Project Newton's Nightmare" was also rejected. The final official designation is "IRCTC Enhanced Passenger Accommodation Protocol v14.2.36DD โ Special Case Handling." Nobody calls it that. Everyone calls it "The Panshul Update."
Filed voluntarily with Railway Welfare Department ยท Not part of official record ยท Included here at Shri Mishra's request ยท Copy to his therapist
"I, Raghunath Prasad Mishra, TTE Grade II, Northern Railway, service number NR/TTE/2004/1847, wish to add the following personal observations to the official record.
I have been a Travelling Ticket Examiner for 19 years. I have checked lakhs of tickets. I have seen fake IDs, bribed attempts, people hiding in toilets, people hiding under berths, and one man who presented a photocopy of someone else's face glued to his own Aadhaar card.
Nothing prepared me for Berth 23, Coach B-4, September 14, 2023.
When I first noticed the vibration, I thought: track quality. When I reached Coach B-4, I thought: loose coupling. When I looked at Berth 23, I thought: what am I looking at. When I understood what I was looking at, I thought: I need to call someone. When I called the Train Superintendent, I could not find words. In 19 years, I have never been unable to find words.
I now understand that Shri Jindal is a good man with a medical condition. I bear him no ill will. He was polite when we woke him up. He apologised. He said it happens. HE SAID IT HAPPENS.
I have since been featured on Track 17 of the Spotify album 'STHAN GANA MANA' โ Spotify without my consent. The song is titled 'Side Upper Only (The Restriction Blues).' It is credited to 'TTE R.P. Mishra & The Rajdhani Survivors.' I did not agree to form a band. I do not know who 'The Rajdhani Survivors' are. My wife thinks it's funny. She plays it at family functions. My supervisor does not.
I remain committed to my duties. I have requested that all future Rajdhani assignments exclude trains on which Shri Jindal holds a reservation. This request has been approved. My therapist says this is 'avoidance behavior.' I say it's 'common sense.'
Signed,
R.P. Mishra
TTE Grade II, Northern Railway
February 8, 2025"
Editor's note: Shri Mishra has since been invited to the TED Talk โ TED as a surprise guest. He declined. He was then invited to the film premiere of "Seena: The Untold Story." He declined. He was then invited to be a technical consultant for the biopic. He is considering it. His wife is pushing for yes.
The following individuals and entities have suffered measurable harm (financial, emotional, or structural) as a result of the September 14, 2023 incident:
The Jindal Incident received unprecedented media coverage for a railway safety event:
Panshul Jindal was invited to deliver a TED Talk titled "The Weight of Expectations (And Also My Chest)" in December 2024. The talk directly referenced the Railway Incident:
The talk has 14.2 million views. The comments section has been disabled twice due to "inappropriate structural engineering debates." It has been referenced in 3 academic papers and 47 Reddit threads. TTE R.P. Mishra was invited as a surprise guest but declined. His wife attended anyway. โ TED
The following international railway authorities have been notified of the Jindal Case and have issued their own advisories:
"In my 40 years of international railway coordination, I have never seen a single passenger trigger this level of cross-border safety protocol. The only comparable case was a circus elephant in 1987, and that was a circus elephant. This is a man. With a shirt.">br>โ International Railway Safety Inspector General (Retd.)