A video of children tinkering with the coupling of a stationary train has spread among social media posts in Hindu-majority India, where it has been falsely presented as showing Muslim kids sabotaging an Indian passenger train. The video’s creator told AFP it was filmed in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, and has nothing to do with India.
«We are not afraid of the Pakistan that is outside our border. We are afraid of the thousands of mini-Pakistans that exist within India,» reads the Hindi-language caption of an Instagram video shared on January 14, 2026.
The video shows several children clambering onto a stationary train, and focuses on one child who appears to be striking a coupling with a rock and tinkering with the connection.
Hindi text on a yellow banner over the video reads: «The threat is not from the Pakistani army, but from the religious ideologies present within India.»
<span>Screenshot of the false Instagram post captured on January 22, 2026, with a red X added by AFP</span>
Screenshot of the false Instagram post captured on January 22, 2026, with a red X added by AFP
The same video was also shared in similar Facebook and Instagram posts by India-based users.
«This is the state of Jihadi thinking in India; terrorist training is already being instilled in the minds of children,» reads a comment on one of the posts.
Another reads: «This is a known strategy of Islamic barbarians. Getting juveniles to commit grave crimes. Indian Railways must pay attention to this.»
Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan fought for four days in May 2025, weeks after New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing a deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, claims Pakistan denied (archived link).
The nuclear-armed neighbours’ ensuing conflict killed at least 70 people, and saw both sides make extensive use of drones as well as intense missile and artillery barrages.
The circulating video, however, does not show Muslim children tampering with a train in India.A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to a higher-quality version posted on Facebook on December 28, 2025 (archived link).
«All the boys are on the train. Children are working in Kamalapur,» reads the Bengali-language caption, referring to a railway station in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka (archived link).