Video: Rat found swimming inside large vessel of chutney at university mess in Hyderabad

The incident happened at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad. (Image: @330Kanth41161/X)

A video capturing a rat swimming in chutney served at the hostel mess of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) in Hyderabad’s Sultanpur, Telangana, has gone viral on  X (formerly Twitter). Posted by user @Lakshmi Kanth, the footage has garnered approximately 77,000 views, with the caption expressing dismay over the hygiene standards maintained by the staff.

"Rat in the 'Chutney' at JNTUH SULTANPUR. What hygiene maintenance by the staff members," read the caption of the post.

Rat in the "Chutney" in the JNTUH SULTANPUR.
What hygiene maintenance by the staff members is in a mess.@FoodCorporatio2 @examupdt @ABVPTelangana @NtvTeluguLive @hmtvnewslive @TV9Telugu @htTweets @KTRBRS @DamodarCilarapu @PawanKalyan @JanaSenaParty @Way2NewsTelugu pic.twitter.com/Es7bGLzRdP

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— @Lakshmi Kanth (@330Kanth41161) July 8, 2024

The incident has evoked strong reactions from viewers:

"If I see that with my naked eyes, it will take one month to come out of that trauma," one commenter wrote.

Another highlighted the persistence of such issues, stating, "This situation is not new at JNTU Sultanpur. Between 2016 to 2020, we had to argue with the mess management daily about the quality of food. Sad to see it continues even today."

A third user added, "Unbelievable and completely unacceptable. First, we had insects in our food, and now we've found a rat, even after an inspection was conducted. This poses a serious health risk and cannot be ignored. Immediate and thorough action is needed to address these repeated safety violations."

One user stated, "This situation is not new at JNTU Sulthanpur. Between 2016 to 2020 almost everyday we had to argue with the mess management for providing us this quality of food. Sad to see it continues even today."

According to Telangana Today, Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha has ordered an investigation into the incident. This comes on the heels of a recent inspection on June 29, 2024, by the Food Safety Department, Telangana, which found several food safety violations at JNTU Sultanpur.

Last month, Telangana food safety officials conducted inspections at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Sultanpur campus in Sangareddy, revealing significant violations in the canteen’s kitchen. This raid closely followed a similar one at JNTU Kukatpally, which also exposed poor conditions, according to reports. During the inspection, officials found 15 kg of maida flour infested with black beetles and 25 kg of vegetables contaminated with fungus, both of which were discarded.

Food Safety team, along with 'Food Safety on Wheels' vehicle, has conducted inspection in

and hence discarded.

were… pic.twitter.com/ZObjDBB9zh

— Commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana (@cfs_telangana) June 29, 2024

The storeroom was found to be unhygienic, with the presence of rodents and excessive rat excreta. Additionally, the kitchen, wash area, and dining area were observed to be in unsanitary conditions. Food handlers were seen working without head caps, aprons, or medical records, and the RO water plant was non-operational.