A passenger on the Patna-Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express discovered live worms in a packaged curd, prompting the Railways to terminate the vendor’s contract and impose fines totaling Rs 60 lakh.

The Railway Ministry ordered the termination of Krishna Enterprises’ contract and fined the company Rs 50 lakh. The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) was also fined Rs 10 lakh for lapses in handling the incident.

On March 15, seven passengers on the train were served packaged curd of a known brand along with dinner. Passenger Ritesh Singh flagged the issue on his X handle, tagging IRCTC, the Railway Minister, and others.

IRCTC’s incident report noted that the curd packet, picked up from Patna, bore a manufacturing date of March 9, 2026, and an expiry date of April 7, 2026. Officials reportedly apologised and offered dry fruit mixtures and sweet treats to the affected passengers.

"We tried to explain the situation to them in every possible manner and requested them to verify the matter at the spot. However, they refused to delete the tweet and expressed their intention that the video should go viral and trend,” the report said.

Initially, Krishna Enterprises was fined Rs 25,000 and warned for negligence, with instructions to maintain proper cold chain and follow food safety protocols. Dissatisfied with this action, the Railway Ministry directed IRCTC to terminate the contract and increase the fine to Rs 50 lakh.

"Considering the gravity of the lapses, the competent authority has decided to impose a fine of Rs 10 lakh on IRCTC for such deficiency in services. Further, IRCTC is advised to ensure strict monitoring of onboard services so as to prevent any such incident in future," the Ministry said.

"All concerned IRCTC supervisors must be directed to ensure that food quality, food safety and hygiene are their prime concerns," it added.

The Ministry also confirmed the action on its X handle: "The complaint regarding food quality raised by a passenger in train number 21896 (Patna-Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express) on 15 March, 2026 has been taken seriously. Action taken - IRCTC has been penalised Rs 10 lakh, the service provider has been penalised with Rs 50 lakh, and has been ordered to terminate the contract. Passenger safety and quality remain our top priority."