“It’s capsicum”: Bhopal student claims lizard in mess food, staff member 'eats' it to prove point

Hostel food often becomes a topic of debate long before it becomes a topic of news. For many students, mess meals are part of daily life, so even a small mistake in the kitchen can quickly turn into a major conversation about hygiene, trust, and accountability.That is why stories involving campus food tend to go viral online instantly, especially when they are caught on video.Recently, one such video went viral from the mess of a University campus, which grossly depicts what unhealthy lengths people go to escape accountability, and the incident has put hostel food hygiene back under the spotlight. A video from the University Institute of Technology, RGPV in Bhopal has gone viral after a student allegedly claimed he found a lizard in his hostel meal, only for a mess staff member to insist it was capsicum and eat it in front of others.The clip, shared by X user @gharkekalesh, shows a thali with dal, sabzi, and roti, while the student questions what appears to be an unusual object in the food.The student can be heard saying, “Bhai saab, yeh kya hai, dekh lo.” The staff member replies, “Shimla mirch hai yaar.” The student then insists, “Yeh pahu hai iske. Chipkali hai, uski aankh nikal rahi thi.” After that, the staff member takes a bite of the ‘vegetable’ to prove it was not a lizard. India Today reported that the university later formed a committee to investigate the matter.One user commented, “Complaint redressal itna aggressive tha ki evidence bhi kha gaye.” Another user wrote, “When your defence strategy is literally to 'eat' the crime scene.” A third remarked, “Mess ka menu: capsicum or lizard? The staff did a live taste test to prove their point. This is Bhopal's real reality show - a shocked student on one side, a stunt-performing staff member on the other.”A few more reactions reflected the internet’s confusion over the clip. One user said, “When the hostel mess turns into a survival reality show.” Another wrote, “Everyone watching the video is confused - I'm confused too. Was it a lizard or a piece of capsicum?”According to the India Today report, the RGPV Director Sudhir Bhadoria assured that student health would not be compromised and that strict action would follow if negligence was found. The canteen operator, however, denied the allegation and maintained that the item was capsicum.