A purported video of a death- defying stunt by a Kashmiri man, in which he lies on a railway track while a speeding train passes over him, has taken the social media by storm, prompting calls for strict action to prevent it from becoming a trend.
The undated video, which emerged on social media late on Tuesday evening, shows the phiran-clad (a traditional Kashmiri cloak) man lying face down in the middle of the track as the train passed over him.
He lets out a celebratory shout after the stunt to his friend who recorded the video, which is being widely shared the internet, even as several social media users called for action against him.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah also called out the "stupidity" of the act.
"There is something drastically wrong with this sort of adventure seeking. I can't believe the stupidity of these young men," Omar wrote on Twitter.
"There should be strict action against this stupid boy," a Facebook user wrote.
Twitter was abuzz with reactions slamming the man for the act that could have led to a misadventure.
After the video went viral, the youth apologised for the stunt.
"I apologise to all the people who commented or shared my stupid stunt. I feel ashamed & I wouldn't repeat it again. I want to say to the police to forgive me for my stupid stunt & free me from prison," he said.
Administrators of many WhatsApp groups have urged their members not to circulate the video, saying it can influence impressionable minds the wrong way.
Government officials were not immediately available for a comment on the video.
Every month, hundreds die in across the country in train accidents. Some of the accidents occur due to rush hour and the clamour to catch the local train, while others die due to the death-defying stunts that they platform.
Last year in January, Hindustan Times reported that two teenagers in east Delhi were crushed to death by a speeding train as they tried to shoot a stunt video in front of an approaching train. Shubham Saini and Yash Chindaliya, both aged 15, were Class 10 students of the Aster Public school in Mayur Vihar.
Shubham and Yash along with their five friends were shooting the stunt on the railway tracks near Akshardham Metro station.
In October, four students of a state-run college in Chennai were arrested after a video showing some youngsters at Nemmilichery railway station, 35 km from Chennai central, brandishing small swords and sharp knives while leaning out of a train door went viral. The students showed off their weapons, which included metal rods and machetes, at the station where they also burst firecrackers.
In the same month, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) officers caught a teenager performing stunts at Kurla station in Mumbai and recovered 50 pictures of him posing against the backdrop of trains stored on his cellphone. Ashraf Shaikh, 19, had been sharing these photos with his friends and garnering comments. Performing stunts is a punishable offence and has cost many commuters their life and limb.
(With PTI inputs)
