In a concerning incident from Hyderabad, students at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) in Sultanpur reported finding a rat in the food served at their hostel mess. The alarming discovery, captured on video, has sparked serious health concerns and widespread outrage.
The video, which has been circulating on social media platform X, shows a rat swimming in a container of chutney. Several students can be seen recording the incident on their smartphones. The caption accompanying the video reads, “A rat was found in a dish in the hostel in Telangana. Scary!” HT.com was unable to independently verify the timing or location of the video.
🚨 A rat was found in a dish in the hostel in Telangana. Scary! pic.twitter.com/iFyVZ7GOfk
— Indian Tech & Infra (@IndianTechGuide) July 9, 2024
Reactions to the video have been swift and critical. One individual commented, “Hygiene of food in hostels is a major concern. Not that the taste is any good. If not to save some cost, nobody would like to have food in a hostel mess.” Another stated, “This shocking discovery highlights the administration’s failure to ensure basic standards of hygiene and quality in educational institutions, putting the health and well-being of students at risk.”
“This is absolutely not acceptable. If hostels serve such food, what will the children do? They rely on that food and cannot eat out every day. When will people in India learn to be responsible?” expressed a third person. Another user added, “This is how you play with human life. Hostels are supposed to be safe havens where students can focus on their studies without worrying about such nightmarish scenarios. Food safety is non-negotiable, and it’s high time we all take it seriously. Stay safe, everyone!”
This incident follows a similar case from last month when a Hyderabad resident found a maggot in chicken biryani ordered via Swiggy. Additionally, a man in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, claimed to have found a rat in his sambar while dining at a restaurant. In that case, authorities took prompt action, sealing the restaurant and issuing a notice to its owner to address the food safety issue.
The recent events have underscored the urgent need for stringent food safety measures in educational institutions and food establishments across the country. Students and their families are calling for immediate improvements to ensure such incidents do not happen again.