Viral Photo: Bare Feet on Tray Table in Vande Bharat Express Sparks Hygiene Debate

A photo of a man resting his bare feet on a Vande Bharat Express food tray has gone viral on social media. The image sparked widespread criticism from netizens who condemned the passenger's lack of civic sense and poor hygiene, leading to a debate on public decorum.

A photo of a man resting his bare feet on a tray table aboard a Vande Bharat Express has sparked criticism for his lack of civic sense and cleanliness. Kohina, an X user, uploaded a photograph of a man reading a book with his feet resting on a folding tray table designed for food service. An Indian Railways passenger initially shared the image on Reddit, describing the behaviour as "honestly infuriating".

“Watching someone on a Vande Bharat train put their bare feet on the tray table where people eat was honestly infuriating. The table had newspapers and bottles and is meant for food service. What made it worse was that he had a small child sitting with him,” read the caption of the post.

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Netizens React

The photograph sparked strong reactions from social media users, with many voicing concerns about cleanliness and public decorum.

"Civics should be a compulsory subject for all people, for all jobs in India," a user wrote.

Speaking about the "harsh truth," another user commented, "If you inform them of the purpose of it, people start defending themselves and don't accept that they made a mistake."

Most crucially, a user said, "I wonder if they do this on trains in Switzerland or other parts of Europe?"

"Putting bare feet on a food tray violates fundamental sanitary standards. The disturbing aspect is not the act itself, but the example it creates. If public areas are used as personal living rooms, fundamental decency rapidly vanishes from the train cabin," another user said.

This incident has contributed to the growing number of complaints concerning passenger conduct on trains. Social media users asked their fellow travellers to be more careful in shared spaces.