A shocking video from Amritsar, Punjab, has reignited concerns over street-food hygiene after a live rat was spotted inside a pani puri mixture container at a roadside stall. The clip, shared by a content
creator on Instagram, quickly went viral, leaving social media users divided between outrage and disbelief.
According to the video, the vlogger and his friend were enjoying pani puri when they noticed movement inside the large bowl containing the spiced water and masala mixture. Moments later, a rat covered in masala was seen inside the container. The clip captures the vendor attempting to remove the rat from the mixture. Within seconds, the rat jumps out of the bowl and runs into a nearby drain.
The caption accompanying the video read, “Rat in Pani Puri.” The vlogger said he asked the vendor to immediately discard the contaminated mixture, which was then thrown away.
Within hours of being posted, the video reportedly garnered lakhs of views, sparking intense online debate. While many users expressed disgust and questioned food safety standards at roadside stalls, others speculated about the authenticity of the clip.
Internet Has Lot Of Questions
A social media user wrote, “The rest of the setup looked really clean. So what happened there? Did it enter after the cart was already on place, or was it from long before?”
Another commented, “The rat must have entered just then because how was it even alive for that long. Anyways, it’s a good thing that you people asked the vendor to throw the water away.”
Some reactions were critical. “Indian street food hygiene in a nutshell,” a user remarked. Someone else joked, “Wow, Ratatouille.” Meanwhile, another viewer begged, “Please say it’s AI.”
The incident has reignited discussions around food safety compliance and monitoring of street vendors under FSSAI regulations.
Similar Incident In December 2025
This is not the first such case to spark alarm. In December last year, a restaurant in Ghazipur was sealed by district authorities after a video allegedly showed a dead rat in a plate of curd served to a customer. The disturbing visuals prompted immediate intervention by senior officials, leading to action by the food safety department.
