DMRC ramps up surprise checks in Delhi Metro to curb 'objectionable acts'

With a string of controversial videos made in Delhi Metro trains and premises going viral in the last several months, DMRC chief Vikas Kumar has appealed to people to refrain from engaging in "objectionable" activities and said steps were being taken to curb such incidents.

In a interview with PTI, Kumar also said squads do "surprise checks" from time to time and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is "trying its best" to check these activities.

Seeking fame, some metro riders in the past have often resorted to gyrating on some popular numbers inside train coaches or at platforms, while someone else filmed it. In other cases, videos have emerged on social media platforms such as Instagram where young couples have been filmed getting intimate in a train.

On one occasion, a video of a young woman in a skimpy dress had gone viral on X, triggering an online debate on public decency and freedom of an individual.

Kumar, the managing director of the DMRC, said security personnel cannot be posted everywhere on the metro premises and urged passengers to report such incidents to authorities.

"We first of all try to counsel such people (who resort to such activities). And, we appeal to those people to refrain from engaging in such objectionable activities for the good of society. A person cannot be present everywhere. It is a responsibility of citizens also that if they see such objectionable activities, they should catch hold of such people and bring it to the notice of authorities," he said in the recent interview with PTI.

There are designated squads in place, which do surprise checks from time to time, Kumar added.

While the CISF is tasked with guarding the premises of Delhi Metro stations, there are DMRC squad members in civvies who conduct checks for any violation of norms, including men entering into coaches reserved for women.

"We try our best. We have curbed such activities (making of videos). Many such activities may not be known to people as to what we have stopped," Kumar said.

While the Delhi Metro, a lifeline for Delhi-NCR, has made it into the hearts of people of this region in its journey of over 20 years, these controversial videos have at times somewhat tarnished its otherwise spotless image, attracting unwarranted criticism.

In October, a video showing a couple getting intimate in a Delhi Metro train had gone viral sparking an outrage among people on social media. The undated video showed a man, purportedly in an act of romance, sipping on a soft drink and transferring the beverage from his mouth to the mouth of his female friend.

Many users on X had expressed disgust at the video, which, they said, was made to get attention on social media.

An undated video purportedly showing a man lighting a beedi in a Delhi Metro compartment was widely circulated on social media in September.

In the wake of such videos going viral on social media, many users had tagged the DMRC on X, Facebook and Instagram, asking it "when will such things stop" or "is DMRC not able to stop such activities".

Kumar, however, said the brand 'Delhi Metro' is one which cannot be blemished. "Delhi Metro is a brand and and a centre of excellence. By such incidents, the brand of Delhi Metro won't be affected. It affects the society, so I would appeal to people to discipline themselves and refrain from engaging in such activities. We also try to curb such activities. Delhi Metro is quite capable," he said.

The DMRC has in the recent past sought to raise awareness about such issues using both social media campaigns and outdoor publicity.

At many of its stations, huge posters, bearing rather creative content, appeal to riders to not make reels in metro premises and cause inconvenience to fellow passengers.

Making unauthorised videos in metro trains and stations is prohibited by DMRC norms and measures are in place. But the trend of controversial reels shot in Delhi Metro is not a thing of the past yet.