4 min readNew DelhiJun 25, 2026 06:30 PM IST
First published on: Jun 25, 2026 at 06:30 PM IST
An overnight train journey has triggered a wider conversation online about civic sense, public behaviour, and whether speaking up in such situations is worth the risk.
The discussion began after a passenger shared a photograph from inside a train coach showing plastic bottles, food packets, and other litter strewn across the floor. Along with the image, he explained why he chose not to confront the fellow traveller he believed had created the mess.
In a post on X, the user alleged that the man seated beside him spent most of the eight-hour trip eating and tossing waste beneath the seat despite a dustbin being available nearby. According to him, the disturbance did not end there.
“Later, when everyone was trying to sleep, he started playing videos loudly,” the passenger wrote.
The accompanying photograph showed multiple empty bottles, snack wrappers, and other garbage scattered around the compartment while other travellers remained seated nearby.
Although he was tempted to intervene, the passenger said he eventually decided against it out of concern for his own safety.
“Wanted to teach him a lesson in civic sense, but I stopped myself because getting home safely is more important than teaching a random stranger morality. I have a family, goals, and plans for the future. You need to be practical,” he wrote.
He further argued that confronting such people often achieves little and can sometimes lead to dangerous situations.
“You can’t change the whole country. If you confront these people, they won’t learn or acknowledge their mistake. Instead, they’ll start a fight and can turn violent,” he added.
To underline his concerns, the user pointed to a reported incident on a Mumbai local train where a disagreement allegedly turned fatal.
“Mumbai local train incident is one example. Man asked someone to close the door because of the rain and ended up losing his life to a person carrying a knife,” he wrote.
Check out the post:
The post quickly drew responses from others who said they had encountered similar behaviour during train journeys.
“I have also faced this same situation. Especially in North Indian train. I am not blaming North. But it is a reality,” one user commented.
Another agreed with the passenger’s reasoning, writing, “Thanks bro.. very impressive lines.. Reality is, civic sense can only be taught where people are willing to listen, in a moral society. Smartest choice is to stay invisible, earn more and build a life where you move up the economic ladder so you and family can have safer spaces.”
Some users, however, suggested that railway authorities should have been alerted. One person wrote, “You could have simply shared this photo on X and tagged the accounts of Rail Seva, IRCTC, RPF & Railway Ministry. They could handled those guys perfectly. It’s just about using the resources at the right time.”
The original poster responded that he had already tried similar approaches in the past but found them impractical.
“Been there, done that. RPF will come, and the first question they ask is, ‘Who complained? Please come out.’ They’ll try to sort it within the 5-minute station stop and say it’s resolved, then move on. But you’ll still have to face those people for the rest of journey. They’ll even ask you to write a formal complaint. Not everyone has time or energy to get involved in such things.”
In a post on X, the user alleged that the man seated beside him spent most of the eight-hour trip eating and tossing waste beneath the seat despite a dustbin being available nearby. 
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