Muslims evaded Delhi Metro fares on the day of prayer- Know the truth

The video was from Thursday night and some youth bypassed AFC gate following a surge of passengers at metro station

Muslims across India observed one of the holiest nights, Shab-e-Barat, on Thursday, 13 February, 2025. It is considered as a night of atonement, where it is believed that the Almighty forgives the sins of those who sincerely pray and grants them blessings for the entire year. Against this backdrop, a group of young men jumping over the Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gates at a Delhi Metro station has gone viral on social media. The video visuals show the mob exiting the metro station by jumping over the exit gates without using the token or swiping the metro card.

The users who share the video with claims such as “Indian Muslims peacefully mass evading fares in Delhi metro station yesterday after Friday prayers. This is the first time I have seen American style fare evasion in a metro station in India”.

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Fact Check-

We started our investigation with a keyword search on Google and found a NewsX article stating that a viral video of a group of youths jumping over Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gates at a Delhi Metro station due to the negligence of officials has sparked a heated debate on social media.

Further investigation using this clue led us to an explanation from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on their official Twitter handle. The tweet states, “In reference to a viral video circulating on social media regarding some passengers jumping over AFC gates to exit, DMRC would like  to inform that said incident is reported from Jama Masjid Metro station on Violet Line on the evening of 13th February 2025. There was a temporary surge of passengers for a brief time when some passengers bypassed the AFC gate by jumping over it to exit. Security personnel and other staff were adequately present to counsel such passengers and the situation was never out of control. Rather, it was a momentary reaction of some passengers due to sudden surge at AFC gates”.

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We also found a video report by Aaj Tak on their YouTube channel regarding this incident.

The incident took place on 13 February, 2025 (Thursday) at around 11 pm, the report said. The situation escalated when two trains arrived at the station at the same time. It was difficult to control the crowd as the AFC gates were not functioning. So, the security personnel allowed people to exit through the side gate. While people were leaving the station through the side gate, some youths jumped over the gates. ANI News has reported this with the explanation of the Metro Rail authorities.

For further confirmation, we reached out to Delhi Metro Corporation officials . They clarified us that “The incident took place on Thursday, February 13, not Friday. There was an unexpected rush when two trains arrived at the same time. Our officials quickly controlled the situation. But by then, the footage, filmed by someone, had gone viral on social media. The incident of jumping over the AFC gate took place at the exit gate. The propaganda that the ticket was stolen or that the person was travelling without a ticket is false. We have already filed a complaint with the police and have started an investigation by lodging an FIR. When we noticed that the incident had a communal tone, we gave an explanation through social media,” 

Based on the above media reports and the DMRC’s explanation, we can understand that the incident took place on Thursday night and not after Friday prayers. The video was shot on Thursday night and some youth bypassed AFC gate following a surge of passengers at metro station

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo has found the claim made along with the viral video to be Misleading. According to DMRC, the incident in the viral video happened on 13 February 2025 at the Jama Masjid Metro station of the Delhi Metro. The situation was caused when two trains arrived at the same time at the station, and a huge crowd got down from the trains. This led to the temporary malfunction of the exit gates due to a sudden increase in the number of passengers at the station.