India TV Fact Check: In the era of social media and the internet, we often encounter countless fake news stories. These can pertain to individuals, countries, or organisations. To help you navigate through such misinformation, we bring you India TV Fact Check. The latest instance of fake news involves Indian Railways. A viral social media post claims that booking tickets for others could now result in fines or may land you in jail. However, India TV Fact Check has determined this claim to be entirely false.
What is going viral?
A claim about Indian Railways is going viral on social media. It suggests that using a personal ID, tickets can only be booked for close relatives or people with similar surnames. Booking tickets for friends or others could result in a heavy fine of Rs 10,000 and up to 3 years in jail or both. Facebook user Deven Shah shared this post, writing, "BJP is meticulously doing the work that earns it curses, and in the next elections, support Congress in the BJP Mukt Bharat Abhiyan."
This is going viral
India TV investigated
This claim was being widely circulated on social media. Therefore, we decided to investigate this claim. First, we searched various websites using Google Open Search about this new rule of the Indian Railways. However, we did not find any news or information from the railways about a decision imposing fines for booking tickets for friends. We also checked the official website of the railways, but there was no such notice from the railways there either.
After extensive searching, we visited the railways' social media handle where we found a tweet from IRCTC debunking the viral claim. The railways issued a notice refuting the false information circulating on social media about a ban on booking tickets for individuals with different surnames.
IRCTC issues clarification
According to the railways, any individual can book tickets using their personal user ID for friends, family, and relatives. A maximum of 12 tickets per month can be booked under a personal ID, and if at least one passenger is Aadhaar authenticated, this limit can extend to 24 tickets per month. The railways also emphasised that tickets booked under personal IDs are not for commercial resale, which is an offence under Section 143 of the Railways Act, 1989.
What did the fact check reveal?
India TV's fact check confirms that the Railways has not introduced any penalties or fines for booking tickets for friends or individuals with different surnames. The claim circulating on social media is false. It's advised that people exercise caution regarding such posts.
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