A passenger on the Vande Bharat Express traveling from Howrah to Ranchi, who had ordered a vegetarian meal, was mistakenly served non-vegetarian food. After consuming part of the meal without noticing the label, the passenger realized he had eaten non-veg food and became furious, physically assaulting the waiter by slapping him twice.

“Vande Bharat, by mistake, served non-veg food to an old person. He didn’t see instructions and ate the food. Being vegetarian, he realized it tastes like non-veg, so he got furious and gave two tight slaps to the waiter,” reads the caption on the videos shared on X (formerly Twitter).

The videos depict the scene on the Vande Bharat train, showing passengers and catering staff in the aisle. Some passengers can be heard urging the man who slapped the waiter to apologize, saying “Maafi maang [say sorry],” repeatedly.

Social Media Reactions:

“It is assault. The person should be booked,” commented one user.

Another said, “The whole point of vegetarianism is non-violence, and if you are hitting people, you are actually in violation of the non-violence.”

A third user suggested, “Please book a case against the senior citizen. This attitude towards railway workers is unacceptable. He should be punished for sure. In parallel, please take action against the staff who served non-veg to the passenger.”

A fourth person added, “Railway should also have a passenger blacklisting system like aviation.”

A fifth user remarked, “The old man did wrong by slapping the waiter. The guy in the red T-shirt also did wrong by hitting the old man on the head and shoulder. Both should be punished.”

A sixth user noted, “The elderly man has no right to slap a waiter for supplying him with a meal that is not appropriate for him. The meal package is well-marked for vegetarians or non-vegetarians. If he ignores it, it is his mistake. A slap cannot punish his own mistake. He must apologize to the waiter.”