Elderly passenger slaps waiter after being served non-vegetarian meal on Vande Bharat. Video

A recent incident on the Vande Bharat Express from Howrah to Ranchi has sparked significant controversy. An elderly passenger, mistakenly served a non-vegetarian meal instead of his requested vegetarian option, reacted by slapping the waiter who served him. The altercation, which took place on July 26, was captured on video by a co-passenger, Kunal Verma, and subsequently went viral on social media.

The video showed the elderly passenger, who had not noticed the label on the meal packet, consuming part of the non-vegetarian food before realising the error. Enraged, he allegedly slapped the waiter twice. This action did not sit well with other passengers, who intervened and demanded that the elderly man apologise to the waiter.

In the video, a co-passenger is heard confronting the elderly man, asking, "Kyun mara isko? Itna umar ho gaya hai! (Why would you slap him? Look at your age!)." The waiter can be seen apologising repeatedly, while other passengers call for the elderly man to apologise. One passenger is seen angrily stating, "Upar likha rehta hai (It is written on top)," indicating the labels on the food packaging that denote whether the meal is vegetarian or non-vegetarian.

Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of the Eastern Railway, Prakash Charan, commented on the incident, saying, "Yes, it was served by mistake, but he didn’t eat it. Co-passengers were unhappy about the slapping incident by the passenger and the matter was resolved afterwards."

Social media users were quick to react to the video, with many condemning the elderly passenger's actions. One user wrote, "Rare to see citizens standing up for the right things." Another user commented, "You cannot take law in your own hand. Just because he is poor and cannot put up a fight."