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Journalism of Courage
During their journey from Bhopal to Agra on a Vande Bharat Express train, a couple discovered a dead cockroach in their meal. The disturbing image of the insect found in the curry was posted on X by their nephew, Vidit Varshney.
The viral photograph clearly shows the cockroach submerged in the aloo (potato) curry. Sharing the picture, Varshney expressed his dismay, stating, “Today on 18-06-24, my Uncle and Aunt found a ‘COCKROACH’ in their food served by @IRCTCofficial on Vande Bharat. Please take immediate action against the vendor to ensure such incidents are not repeated.”
Take a look at the post here:
Following the viral post, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) responded by imposing a penalty on the concerned service provider. IRCTC expressed regret in an X post, stating, “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.”
However, the post sparked a backlash against the hygiene standards on Indian trains. Many users took to social media to tag Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, demanding an explanation.
Reacting to Varshney’s post, a user wrote, “This is serious problem as the most premium Train of India Vande Bharat Having these issues . Seriously disappointed.” Another user commented, “Why government is not serious about public health.”
“Sadly you know no action will be taken, the same meal will be served by the same vendor again with the same issue but no one cares,” a third user reacted.
A similar incident took place last year wherein a Vande Bharat Express train passenger found a cockroach stuck to one of the rotis that was served while travelling from Bhopal to Gwalior. The IRCTC had imposed a fine on the vendor.
