IRCTC summons Amul after live worms found in Vande Bharat curd, railway ministry imposes heavy fines

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has officially summoned Amul , India’s leading dairy brand, to explain serious food quality concerns after live worms and insects were allegedly found inside packaged curd served to passengers aboard the Patna–Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express . The action comes following a strong reprimand and strict directives from the railway ministry , which has taken the incident as a grave food safety lapse.

On March 15 , a group of passengers aboard Train No. 21896 discovered live worms and insects in an Amul curd container included with their dinner. One of them, Ritesh Singh, posted a viral video on social media showing the creatures moving inside the sealed cup, sparking widespread public concern over hygiene and quality standards on India’s flagship trains.

Following this, the railway ministry ordered punitive action, imposing fines totaling ₹60 lakh - ₹50 lakh on the private catering service provider, Krishna Enterprises, and ₹10 lakh on IRCTC itself and directed that Krishna Enterprises’ contract be terminated with immediate effect for serious lapses in food handling and safety oversight.

IRCTC’s statement reiterated that complaints regarding the quality of Amul curd were taken “very seriously,” and that it has initiated steps to terminate the vendor’s licence and blacklist the caterer responsible for onboard services. As part of the inquiry, Amul was formally asked to attend a meeting on March 27 and respond to queries about the contamination. So far, IRCTC has not disclosed the contents of Amul’s response, and the dairy cooperative has not issued an official public statement.

In a twist reported by some media outlets, Amul has publicly denied that worms could have originated from its sealed curd, calling such contamination “ scientifically impossible ” and suggesting that the issue might have arisen during onboard handling or serving rather than production.

Passengers on the Vande Bharat Express have expressed outrage on social media, saying the incident has undermined trust in onboard catering quality even on premium services. The online uproar has also renewed broader debate on the accountability of food suppliers and food safety enforcement mechanisms in public transport catering.

Railway ministry officials have emphasised that all supervisors with IRCTC must prioritise food quality, safety and hygiene , and that strict monitoring should be ensured on all premium train services to prevent a recurrence of such episodes