WATCH: IRCTC Staff Seen Washing Utensils In Duronto Express Toilet, Viral Video Sparks Outrage

A viral video showing an IRCTC employee cleaning utensils in a Duronto Express train lavatory has sparked outrage. Following the incident, the FSSAI issued a notice to IRCTC for violating hygiene regulations. The event, which took place in a First AC coach, has raised serious questions about safety and service standards.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) received a notification from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) following a widely circulated video that purportedly showed catering employees cleaning utensils in a train lavatory on the Mumbai–Ernakulam Duronto Express. An IRCTC employee is seen inside the train lavatory in the video, which was posted on X by the account Truth On Track. Utensils are arranged in a basket on top of a closed seat. According to the post, food plates and cutlery used for onboard catering services were handled in an unsanitary manner.

Additionally, according to the report, the event took place in the train's First AC class, where customers often anticipate better levels of hygiene and service. It further asked how such hygienic issues could occur in a premium class and requested an update on the complaint's progress from IRCTC and railway officials.

In the video, a passenger recording the incident was heard confronting the IRCTC staff member, asking, “What are you doing? Is this an appropriate place for this?” The employee remained silent in the clip. The passenger then turned to an attendant standing outside the toilet and asked whether he was aware of what was happening. “No, I have just seen this now,” the attendant replied.

The passenger further said, “You are an attendant of the Duronto Express and you do not know that utensils are being washed inside the toilet. Are you serving food using these utensils?” “I did not see it. The people who wash them usually do it there,” the attendant responded, gesturing somewhere outside the toilet.

Watch Viral Video

A complaint was raised regarding alleged hygiene concerns onboard Train 12223 Duronto Express (First AC Coach H1) after visuals reportedly showed food plates and cutlery placed near/on a toilet seat area during onboard lunch service, raising serious passenger concerns around… pic.twitter.com/1OgUCuyjlX

— Truth On Track (@truth_on_track) May 27, 2026

After seeing the widely shared video, FSSAI sent IRCTC a notice requesting a true account of the purported occurrence.

The food safety authority stated in its notice that the alleged conduct violated the sanitary and hygienic standards outlined in Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011. According to FSSAI, the regulations require food business operators to maintain hygienic processing, handling, washing and cleaning practices to prevent contamination of food and food-contact surfaces.

The railway catering agency is yet to publicly respond to the notice.