Railways to undertake random verification of Aadhaar to check for illegal immigrants
The Indian Railways has issued an alert on illegal immigrants using fake or forged Aadhaar cards as proof of identity while travelling and directed Travelling Ticket Examiners to check at random the veracity of the document.
In a note to Principal Chief Commercial Managers of all Zonal Railways issued on Thursday, the Railway Board said instances of individuals staying unauthorisedly in India with fake or forged Aadhaar cards and using them as proof of identity for various purposes, including employment and travel, had come to notice.
To curb impersonation and misuse of Aadhaar card, it was imperative to strengthen identity verification mechanism. Ticket checking staff should check and verify the identity document of passengers at random.
Wherever it was found to be a fake or forged document or in case of any suspicion, the matter should be immediately referred to the Government Railway Police and Railway Protection Force for necessary action.
Download mAadhaar app
The Railway Board said the ticket checking staff should download and use the mAadhaar App (available for free on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store) on their mobile phones.
The mAadhaar application, developed by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), was useful in easy verification of the document. The application provided several features, including QR code-based verification, which enabled reliable and paperless identity validation.
Upon scanning the QR code on an Aadhaar card, the application would display key identity information such as photograph, Aadhaar number, name, gender, date of birth and address, thereby facilitating real-time verification of the authenticity of the document.
'This application works in offline mode also. This application might serve as a useful tool to curb impersonation and misuse of Aadhaar card,' the Railway Board said.
Besides passengers, the note said the mobile-based verification app should also be used to verify the genuineness of contractual onboard staff, including On Board House Keeping, Catering staff etc.
The move comes a day after the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) deactivated 2.5 crore suspect user IDs as part of a digital overhaul of its ticketing infrastructure.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
5 hours ago
- India.com
This Indian Railways train gets Z+ security, commandos with AK-47s to guard...., passengers to be scanned for..., train name is...
This Indian Railways train gets Z+ security, commandos with AK-47s to guard …, passengers to be scanned for…, train name is… Katra Srinagar Vande Bharat: The Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat train has started for passengers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flagged off the train on June 6 before Bakrid. It is the first train connection between the Kashmir Valley and the Jammu region. Now, passengers will reach Srinagar from Katra in just 3 hours. If you are worried about the security during the travel to a sensitive place like Kashmir, then don't worry because this Vande Bharat Train will operate with high security. Security of Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express The Indian Railways has made special arrangements for the Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat express. The train has been secured like an impenetrable fortress, with armed commandos will be deployed to protect it. CORAS, commandos of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), have been deployed to protect Vande Bharat trains on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway line. As many as 20 commandos and a supervisor will be present in every Vande Bharat train to protect the passengers. These jawans will be equipped with AK-47 assault rifles and other weapons. Soldiers Deployed To Protect The Tunnel Security has been tightened along the entire Katra-Srinagar train route. This includes round-the-clock armed soldier patrols at both tunnel entrances and continuous CCTV surveillance inside and outside each tunnel. All trains operating on this route will be escorted by commandos. Keeping in mind the safety of passengers, these trains will be run only during the day. No train will operate at night. As per Railway officials, this will be the first time that CORAS will be deployed in a train. Entry After Security Check Enhanced security measures are in place for the Vande Bharat Express train travelling to Kashmir. This includes heightened security for the train itself, as well as the tunnels, Chenab Bridge, and Anji Bridge along its route. Passengers and their luggage will undergo security checks and scans before boarding at Platform 1 in Katra. Valid identification is required, and luggage will be X-rayed. Boarding will only be permitted after the completion of these security procedures.
Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Indian Express
‘Operation Clean' set to sweep Mohali markets, illegal vendors face eviction
In a decisive move against rampant illegal encroachments, the Mohali Municipal Corporation is set to launch 'Operation Clean', a large-scale crackdown aimed at evicting street vendors occupying public spaces across the city's markets. Sources confirm that all preparations for the operation have been finalised, with municipal enforcement teams and police machinery put on high alert to evict the vendors across various phases and sectors. What started as a few hundreds has exploded over the years. A survey conducted by the civic body earlier recorded around 1,000 vendors, but officials say the actual count is more than double the number, severely affecting the commercial landscape. 'These vendors have formed unions and call themselves shopkeepers, alleging that anyone who objects is silenced through collective intimidation. Even councillors admit that some shopkeepers are renting out space in front of their shops to these vendors, complicating the problem.' Residents and traders argue that most vendors are not even from Mohali but commute daily from Chandigarh and Punjab, and do not pay any local taxes. 'Our own legal businesses pay taxes to run day-to-day operations while these vendors sell underpriced counterfeit goods,' a Phase 3B2 shopowner disclosed. Reeling from pressure, a public meeting was held under the chairmanship of Joint Commissioner Parminder Pal Singh to demand swift action. 'The Mayor and MC Commissioner are also collecting Aadhaar and Voter IDs of illegal vendors,' said an official. The civic body has already identified more than 1,000 illegal vendors through a special survey. Officials confirmed that a strict deadline has been set after which all unauthorised vendors will soon be removed.
The Print
10 hours ago
- The Print
Curious case of Zubair Bhat: Kashmiri youth's mysterious death in Delhi, flashpoint in Srinagar
Flanked by Bhat's sister and brother at their residence in Aali Kadal of Srinagar, Iltija Mufti, the daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, said Bhat had informed his sister about the police taking his Aadhaar card and assaulting him with sticks. Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti Thursday alleged that Bhat was killed after torture and discrimination by the Delhi Police and a hospital in the national capital. New Delhi: A day after allegations of torture, the Delhi Police has denied arresting 30-year-old Srinagar resident Zubair Ahmed Bhat. In fact, they say they got a call from the Safdarjung Hospital only after his admission to the hospital by the personnel attached to the police control room. The police control room, officers claim, had received a call that Zubair was showing symptoms of seizures in front of the residence of a doctor in Lajpat Nagar. 'There is proper proof. He was a 30-year-old man who was the sole breadwinner for the family. He was in the handicrafts business. The family is saying that after he reached Delhi, police personnel at Lajpat Nagar caught and beat him up and repeatedly assaulted him the next day when he went back to take back his Aadhaar card,' Mufti told the press Thursday. 'He was also asked if he was a Kashmiri. Being Kashmiri is enough for people to hang us. What was his fault that he was Kashmiri?' Mufti also alleged that doctors at a Delhi hospital denied him treatment. Chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also paid a visit to Bhat's family residence in Srinagar. 'Mirwaiz assured the family that he stands with them and the people in their pursuit of justice for Zubair. He reaffirmed his commitment to continue raising his voice against injustice and to seek accountability, so that such tragic incidents are not repeated,' his office said in a statement Friday. Ms. @IltijaMufti_ speaks to media on Zubair Ahmad Bhat sb's tragic demise in Delhi. — J&K PDP (@jkpdp) June 5, 2025 However, the Delhi Police have refuted the allegations citing no relation and engagement with him in respect to any case or proceedings. South East Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police Hemant Tiwari said there was no case or any proceedings ongoing with regards to Bhat and that the police did not question him or arrest him even for a brief period of time. 'The police had no role and link to Bhat. He was neither a suspect nor a stakeholder in any case. He was not at all arrested or even questioned by the police,' DCP Tiwari told ThePrint. PCR call by doctor & suspicion of prolonged drug abuse Explaining the sequence of events leading up to Bhat's death around 11.30 pm on 29 May, Delhi Police officers said Bhat was first noticed the same evening by a doctor in front of her residence in Lajpat Nagar area of the national capital. 'A call was made to the Delhi Police control room at 6.07 pm on 29 May when an eye specialist employed at Safdarjung Hospital spotted him with symptoms of seizures. She made a call saying that an unknown man was in front of her house and also raised suspicion about being a drug addict in the PCR call,' a Delhi Police officer told ThePrint. The PCR team picked him up from the Lajpat Nagar area and admitted him to the Safdarjung Hospital emergency department which recorded 'multiple injection marks on the left cubital fossa (front of elbow joint)' on his body, the Delhi Police officer further said. In the investigation for the treatment, doctors sought urine samples for detection of drug remains in his body, the officer further said. Another police officer said that a preliminary probe conducted so far suggests that Bhat used to be in Delhi for six months a year and was employed by a Lajpat Nagar-based businessman who used to sell Kashmiri shawls at Dilli Haat. 'He used to stay in the ground floor of the accommodation of his employer.' On the morning of 27 May, Bhat had allegedly called his employer seeking Rs 50,000 for shopping for his sister's wedding. After agreeing, the employer asked him to return to his accommodation. However, he did not go there and instead went to a hotel in the national capital but not before buying four strips of Tapentadol for Rs 2,000 from a chemist that he used to visit regularly, the police officer has said. 'Between December last year to May, he has bought Tapentadol, a well-known opioid worth Rs 29,000 from the same shop. He did not stay at his usual accommodation but instead proceeded to stay at a hotel after acquiring the drug,' said another police officer. Police officers said that Bhat's sister called him on the afternoon of 28 May, but he did not take the call. But he messaged her on Whatsapp to tell her that the police had beaten him up 'because he was Kashmiri' and taken his Aadhaar card. 'Shortly after, he said that he was in a hotel,' the officer said, adding there was CCTV footage from the hotel confirming his presence at the time he claimed he was with the Dehi Police. 'Later that night he also had to break open his room door as he had lost his key. Even that incident has been captured in the CCTV footage,' he added. The cause of death has been suspected to be encephalopathy due to drug abuse and 'altered sensorium due to drug intoxication', the police officer further said. Sources said that around 25 people who had gathered around him in Lajpat Nagar area before he was taken to hospital by Delhi Police PCR van have confirmed his status at the time the police arrived. (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also Read: What is the 2017 Kotkhai custodial death case that led to life term for Himachal IGP, 7 other cops
