‘India Is Not For Beginners’: Locals Rush To ‘Loot’ Diesel Spilled From Derailed Train

A goods train on the Delhi-Mumbai route derailed in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh, on Thursday, October 4. While on its way from Rajkot, Gujarat, to Bakaniya near Bhopal, three coaches of the train went off the tracks, resulting in the spillage of petroleum products. The incident quickly led to chaos as local residents rushed to the scene to collect the leaking diesel. A video has surfaced online which showed locals gathering around the drain where the diesel dripped.

With plastic containers in hand, residents eagerly filled their buckets and bottles with the mixture of diesel and water that dripped into a nearby drain. In the clip, men and women were seen sitting beside the drain, filling their buckets and bottles with the liquid.

In the midst of this chaos, railway and police officials were also seen standing nearby as the locals collected the water-mixed diesel. The video, which has gained nearly 3 lakh views, sparked discussions on social media. The caption described the scene as a “crowd looting diesel from three wagons of a goods train,” but many social media users disagreed, arguing that what the community was doing couldn’t be classified as looting. Instead, they felt the locals were simply reclaiming fuel that had been accidentally released.

One user remarked “It’s not a loot..loot will be when people take it from the tanker itself. They r collecting it from drains. I don’t think it’s wrong. Plus they can’t use it directly in their vehicles bcz of the mix of water, i think…”

Another added, “Doesnt look like looting. They are preserving nature.”

“Did they derail it? Are they doing it at the cost of someone’s life? If this was done in the west it would be called saving the environment,” one user stated.

Someone also asserted, “India is not for beginners.”

An individual pointed out the risks, saying, “People know it’s risky but still doing this.”

“Not looting .. environmental cleaning !! Had they not done that, most of that diesel would’ve affected the local plant and animal life !!” someone noted.

Another questioned, “What’s looting here? The diesel is just free flowing, getting wasted.”

According to the PTI, train operations resumed on the track by Friday, October 4, just 12 hours after the derailment incident. Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Ratlam Rajnish Kumar has ordered a probe into the derailment, public relations officer Khemraj Meena informed the news agency.

Another official said that the traffic on the down line for trains to Ujjain and Kota has been restored.