WATCH: Dead Cockroach Found In Vande Bharat Meal; Checkout What IRCTC Said

A picture was shared by X user Vidit Varshney, depicting a dead cockroach allegedly found inside a meal served on the Vande Bharat Express, on June 18,

His uncle and aunt made the discovery during their journey from Bhopal to Agra. Off late hygiene issues have been witnessed in various packed products, such as ice creams to dosas to other meals.

WATCH: Dead Cockroach Found In Vande Bharat

Varshney urged the authorities to enforce strict measures against the vendor responsible for the meal. In response, the Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) issued an apology for the inconvenience caused and stated that a suitable penalty had been imposed on the service provider.

Varshney's post included a detailed complaint: "Today, on 18-06-24, my uncle and aunt, while traveling from Bhopal to Agra on Vande Bharat, found a cockroach in their food from IRCTC. Please ensure strict action is taken against the vendor and that such incidents are prevented in the future," he wrote, accompanied by a picture showing the contaminated food.

The IRCTC acknowledged the issue and, in their official response, expressed regret for the incident. They emphasized that corrective measures have been taken against the service providers to prevent such occurrences in the future.

RailwaySeva, the official support handle on X for train passengers, requested Varshney to provide his "PNR number and mobile number" and expressed "regret" over the experience endured by his aunt and uncle.

Two days after Varshney's post on X, the official IRCTC handle responded, stating, "Sir, we apologize for your travel experience. The matter has been taken seriously, and a suitable penalty has been imposed on the concerned service provider. We have also enhanced production and logistics monitoring."

Reactions from other X users to the post included comments such as:

• Nitish Kumar expressed concern: "If people could see the condition of the canteen where food is prepared, most would never order. I prefer to bring home-cooked meals whenever possible."
• Another user noted, "Whenever a person raises a complaint, railways only ask for details, and then there's no action at all. There are issues not just with food quality but also with overcharging in the pantry. Authorities are aware but not acting due to unspecified reasons."
• Feroz Ahmad stated, "I don't eat railway food. I always carry homemade food with me."
• A fourth user remarked, "Thoughts go out to those who consumed the rest of the food from this batch."