Tense Scuffle Between BJP MLA and RPF Officer at Banaras Railway Station During PM’s Visit
Scuffle erupts at Banaras station during PM Modi visit.
A heated altercation erupted at Banaras railway station on Friday afternoon when BJP MLA Saurabh Srivastava physically clashed with a Railway Protection Force (RPF) jawan amid stringent security arrangements for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s high-profile arrival in his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi. The incident, captured in a 12-second viral video that has since garnered millions of views across social media platforms, showed the legislator and the uniformed officer shoving each other in a tense standoff that threatened to escalate further.
The confrontation originated from rigorously enforced access restrictions implemented to safeguard the Prime Minister’s two-day visit, during which he was scheduled to flag off four state-of-the-art Vande Bharat Express trains. RPF personnel had cordoned off key areas of the station, permitting entry only to authorized individuals with validated passes, but Srivastava reportedly demanded immediate passage for a group of accompanying party workers, leading to a heated exchange and the brief physical scuffle before senior railway officials and local police intervened to restore order.
Once the situation was de-escalated through swift mediation by station security supervisors, the MLA was allowed to proceed to platform 8, where he joined dignitaries for the ceremonial launch. Prime Minister Modi personally flagged off the Varanasi–Khajuraho Vande Bharat Express in a grand event attended by railway officials and select BJP leaders, while simultaneously inaugurating the Lucknow–Saharanpur, Firozpur–Delhi, and Ernakulam–Bengaluru services via video conferencing from the same venue.
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The newly introduced Banaras-Khajuraho train is poised to revolutionize pilgrimage and tourism by seamlessly linking sacred destinations such as Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Chitrakoot, slashing travel duration by several hours and offering premium amenities. The other three routes similarly promise enhanced connectivity between major economic and cultural hubs, reinforcing the government’s ambitious vision for a modern, high-speed rail network that prioritizes passenger comfort and operational efficiency.
Railway authorities later described the incident as an isolated misunderstanding arising from heightened protocol during a VVIP movement, asserting that the program concluded without additional disruptions. Nonetheless, the episode has ignited widespread online discourse regarding the conduct of elected representatives, the challenges of managing security at public events, and the balance between political privilege and law enforcement duties.
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