Dead viper found on Bengaluru-bound Vande Bharat seat

Passengers on the Ernakulam, KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express panicked on Friday after a dead viper was found lying on a seat inside the C6 coach. The snake was spotted around 2.30pm, shortly before the train departed from Kerala, when a woman passenger returned to her seat from the washroom. Fellow travellers alerted the travelling ticket examiner and other railway staff, who removed the reptile with help from passengers.

A passenger later filed a complaint through the RailMadad portal. South Western Railway officials did not comment on the incident despite attempts by Times of India. The discovery has raised questions about pest-control and safety protocols on Vande Bharat trains, which are fully air-conditioned with sealed gangways and automated doors. Railway authorities have not determined how the viper entered the coach. This is not the first instance of a snake on a Vande Bharat; in December 2025, a passenger was accused of deliberately placing a snake on a Mumbai-Solapur service.