The Indian Railways Ministry has initiated action against the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and the vendor of Vande Bharat Express after a video of a passenger finding live worms in his food went viral. The video shows the passenger confronting staff on the plane, who initially tried to dismiss the matter as “caesar” (saffron).
What did the Ministry of Railways say?
The ministry was involved in imposing fines on both IRCTC and the vendor who provided the food. “The complaint regarding food quality made by a passenger in Train No. 21896 (Patna-Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express) on March 15, 2026 has been taken seriously.”
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“Action has been taken – IRCTC has been sanctioned,” she added $The service provider was penalized Rs 10 lakh $50 thousand and ordered to terminate the contract. Passenger safety and quality remain our top priorities.
The video clip, which went viral and prompted the ministry to take the necessary measures, shows a man telling a train attendant that there are live worms in his food. One user
The video was initially shared on the Travel Skippers YouTube channel. According to the channel’s bio, it is run by Ritesh Kumar Singh from Patna. He makes travel and lifestyle videos.
What does the video show?
The passenger gave a cup of yoghurt to the flight attendant and asked pointedly: “Can you see something there?” The employee denied seeing anything unusual and suggested that the visible spots were just “caesar” (saffron). This ridiculous claim sparked a wave of disbelief and laughter from the complainant and onlookers.
Read also: Vande Bharat passenger raises concern over rotis being heated in plastic containers, IRCTC responds
The passenger immediately lifted his food tray, revealing that insects had also spilled onto the rest of his meal. He wondered what would happen if someone ate such contaminated foods, highlighting the health risks.
In response, the employee indicated that the curd had arrived pre-packed before verifying the container details. Upon examination, the product was found to be noticeably outdated. The video ended with the passenger insisting that the companion record the incident in the complaints book.
Social media interaction:
“But why do passengers always have to raise their voices? Can’t your team check food samples from any random train all of a sudden? Please publicly share past data on so-and-so train, food samples were collected, etc,” one person wrote. Another added: “These types of stale and low-quality meals happen daily on many trains. The fine money should partly go to the affected passengers as refund or compensation.”
A third expressed his appreciation for this immediate action! These special trains like Vande Bharat etc are a national pride and hence there should be 0 tolerance in letter and spirit when it comes to providing high standards of service.A fourth commented: $60 thousand for a cup of yoghurt. The railways finally stopped manipulating the health of passengers.
