A couple traveling on the Vande Bharat Express train from Bhopal to Agra had an unsavoury experience when they found a dead cockroach in their meal.
Vidit Varshney, the nephew of the couple, shared a picture showing the cockroach submerged in the sabji on social media.
Vidit tweeted on Tuesday, "Today on 18-06-24, my Uncle and Aunt were traveling from Bhopal to Agra on Vande Bharat. They found a 'COCKROACH' in their food from IRCTC. Please take strict action against the vendor and ensure this does not happen again."
He also tagged the official Twitter accounts of the Railway Ministry and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Vidit, who has just 39 followers on Twitter, replied to his post, tagging famous YouTuber Dhruv Rathee to increase its reach.
Two days later, on Thursday, after the post received significant attention, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) responded by imposing a penalty on the concerned service provider.
IRCTC replied to Vidit's post, saying, "We apologize for the travel experience. The matter has been taken seriously, and appropriate penalties have been applied to the service provider. We have also enhanced monitoring of production and logistics."
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The post has sparked a debate on social media about the regular occurrence of such incidents. Many users questioned the Railway Minister and demanded an explanation. Vaishnaw is facing criticism from all sides after the Kanchanjunga Express accident in West Bengal that claimed at least 10 lives.
Reacting to Varshney’s post, a user wrote, “Thoughts are with those who ate the rest of the food from this lot.”
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Another user wrote, “Whenever a person raises a complaint, the railway asks for details only and after that, no action at all. Not only food quality but overcharging as well in the pantry. Authorities are well aware of this but are not acting due to some 'other reason.'”
“These matters need to be addressed immediately and stern action must be taken, but what can one expect of a government where PR and reel-making have substituted real administration,” a third user reacted.
