Cut! That’ll be a fine: Delhi metro cracks down on making reels on its network
The move, which started on September 14, will cover the entire network by the end of this week, officials said.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has begun broadcasting in-train announcements warning commuters against shooting reels, dance clips or other social media content within metro premises, and that doing so will attract a fine.
The move, which started on September 14, will cover the entire network by the end of this week, officials said.
The bilingual announcements -- made in both Hindi and English -- join DMRC’s existing reminders asking passengers not to sit on floors or eat inside coaches. The new message is blunt: “Filming reels, dance videos or any other such activities are strictly prohibited.”
To be sure, though the Metro Railways Act, 2002, does not specifically mention reels, DMRC officials said violators can be fined under provisions against “creating a nuisance” inside stations or coaches.
“This step has been taken to ensure that fellow passengers are not inconvenienced due to such activity,” Anuj Dayal, principal executive director, corporate communications at DMRC.
Dayal added that DMRC has also launched a parallel social media campaign urging passengers to avoid playing loud music on their phones. “These initiatives are being taken to make traveling by the Delhi Metro a comfortable experience,” he said.
The crackdown reflects how the metro, once celebrated for its efficiency and order, has increasingly doubled as a backdrop for viral social media content, often causing inconvenience to commuters.
Clips of commuters dancing, lip-syncing or performing stunts inside trains often gain traction online. But many such videos spark outrage. In April, one viral clip showed a man apparently drinking alcohol with a boiled egg inside a coach. Around the same time, another video showed a shirtless scuffle between two passengers.
In 2023, DMRC instructed its flying squads -- primarily tasked with preventing men from entering women’s coaches -- to also monitor commuters making reels or shooting objectionable content. But despite the measure, viral videos continued to surface, highlighting how difficult enforcement has been.
Regular passengers say the problem is not just about online trends but about comfort and safety.
“People know if they shoot a video inside the Delhi Metro, it will not only catch eyeballs inside the coach, but on social media too,” said Ashish Kumar, 22, a student who commutes daily. “But loud music or dancing is not comfortable for any passenger.” His friend Alka Singh, 21, agreed: “The metro is for travel, not for content creation.”
