Overview
- Central Railway played short Bhojpuri festival songs and jingles over public-address systems at multiple Mumbai stations ahead of Chhath Puja, and videos of the broadcasts circulated on Thursday prompting complaints from commuters.
- Railway officials said the music was routine, played outside slots reserved for essential announcements and intended to create a festive atmosphere during special-train operations for the holiday.
- Hours after political objections and passenger complaints were raised by Marathi organisations and parties, Central Railway discontinued the festival-related songs at the stations.
- Critics from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Shiv Sena (UBT) argued the broadcasts threatened Marathi cultural primacy while some leaders defended Chhath observance as legitimate migrant expression.
- Commuters said the loud music disrupted travel information at busy suburban and terminus stations and the episode has renewed calls to limit non-operational content on PA systems and to improve routine announcement reliability.