A viral video from the Erode–Jogbani Amrit Bharat Express sparked widespread concern on social media after it appeared to show a catering staff member washing used disposable food trays in a passenger washbasin.
The clip, which quickly gained attention online, raised serious questions about hygiene and food safety standards on Indian Railways, particularly on newly launched trains like the Amrit Bharat Express. In the video, a man believed to be part of the catering team can be seen rinsing meal containers in a washbasin meant for passengers before stacking them aside.
When questioned by the passenger filming the scene, he appeared uneasy and vaguely explained that the trays were “being sent back,” without clarifying why they were being washed inside the coach instead of in a designated pantry area.
However, an official fact-check by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) and Indian Railways has dismissed the claims circulating online. The PIB Fact Check handle on X (formerly Twitter) stated: “The claim that used casserole containers were being reused for serving passengers in Train No. 16601 is misleading. The containers were not reused for catering. They were being cleaned only for disposal purposes.”
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) also issued a statement confirming that the containers were never reused for serving food.
“The video was investigated immediately. It has been clearly established through factual inquiry that the trays were used only once and were being cleaned before disposal, possibly to be sold to a scrap collector,” the statement read.
IRCTC said that the vendor involved has been identified, and appropriate internal action has been taken.
IRCTC has urged the public to avoid spreading unverified or misleading information and to check facts before sharing such claims online.
