‘Wait for orange gutkha stamps’: Vande Bharat Express sleeper train littered within hours of inauguration; viral video sparks outcry

The high-tech Vande Bharat Sleeper, connecting Howrah and Guwahati, was flagged off Saturday. The viral video from Malda, recorded by a passenger, shows plastic packets and spoons littered across a coach.

Sharing the video, an X handle @Indianinfoguide, wrote, “People litter on vande bharat Sleeper train within hours of its inaugural run. Just see the civic sense.”

Watch here:

🚨People litter on vande bharat Sleeper train within hours of its inaugural run.

Just see the civic sense pic.twitter.com/cCcvbJJWoL

— Indian Infra Report (@Indianinfoguide) January 18, 2026

The video has since gone viral, with several users slamming the commuters for littering. “Without civic sense, even world-class infra like Vande Bharat, luxury airports, or wide roads becomes hard to maintain. Civic sense is basically common sense in public spaces — and it should be mandatory in primary education from this generation onwards, or the problem will pass down forever,” a user wrote.

Another user commented, “The government should soon pass a law to introduce civic sense classes starting from LKG, just like in Japan and other European countries.”

“India’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper looks world class… until passengers treat it like a roadside dustbin within hours of launch. Civic sense isn’t optional, it’s what separates premium travel from another dirty coach,” a third user reacted. “Wait for orange gutkha stamps,” a fourth user chimed in.

In 2023, a photo showing garbage, including plastic bottles and food wrappers, on the floor of a Vande Bharat Express coach sparked public outcry. It also captures a railway staff member holding a broom to clean the litter. Sharing the photo on X, an IAS officer, Awanish Sharan, wrote, “We The People.”

On the contrary, a recent video of spotless Thalassery railway station in Kerala won hearts on social media. Shared by a content creator, the video shows the shining floors on the platform with no garbage in sight.