A disturbing incident involving food safety violations came to light on Sunday in Odisha’s Keonjhar district after a viral video showed a roadside ‘dahi bara’ vendor allegedly re-selling leftover food to customers.

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The incident, reported from Champua town, has sparked widespread outrage among local residents and raised serious concerns over hygiene standards in roadside food businesses.

According to sources, the incident took place near Champua bus stand, where a ‘dahi bara’ stall owner was allegedly caught mixing partially eaten ‘dahi bara’, left behind by customers, back into the serving container and selling it again to unsuspecting buyers.

A video of the entire act was allegedly captured by a bystander and later circulated widely on social media platforms.

The footage quickly went viral, triggering anger and disgust among residents of the area. Locals expressed concern over the health risks associated with such unhygienic practices, especially considering the popularity of roadside food stalls among daily commuters and students.

Tension escalated in the morning when a large number of irate residents gathered near the make-shift shop and surrounded the vendor. Witnesses said heated arguments broke out at the scene, and some locals allegedly manhandled the shopkeeper in anger over the incident.

Following information about the unrest, Champua Police and officials from the local NAC administration rushed to the spot to control the situation. Authorities seized unsold ‘dahi bara’, other food items, utensils, and materials kept at the stall. The prepared food items were later destroyed by the local administration as a precautionary measure.

Police have detained the accused vendor, identified as Ramakanta Khuntia, for questioning and launched an investigation into the matter. Officials are also examining whether food safety norms and public health regulations were violated.

The bizarre incident has intensified public concern regarding food hygiene and the monitoring of roadside eateries. Residents have demanded regular inspections and strict action against vendors found violating food safety standards to prevent such incidents from recurring.

“Based on public complaints and the viral video, we conducted a raid on the ‘dahi bara’ stall, and we found some proof. Subsequently, we seized all the food items and disposed of them. We seized everything that was there and deposited it at the local police station,” Food and Sanitation Inspector Jibaneswar Behera told OTV.

“We had previously made him aware and also issued notices to avoid using thermocol plates and asked him to comply strictly. Today, we acted based on the public’s complaints,” Inspector Behera added.

Reported By: Sanjeeb Kumar Munda