How fun night out on Bengaluru's Brigade Road turned into tragic nightmare for woman; pub fined ₹1 lakh

Nearly four years after the incident, the Bengaluru Urban II District Consumer Commission has held the pub responsible for negligence.

A night out on Bengaluru’s Brigade Road turned traumatic for 28-year-old Soumya Nandal after a flaming Sambuca cocktail demonstration at a city pub went wrong. The incident left her with burn injuries and years of physical and emotional distress.

The commission, led by Vijaykumar M Pawale and Anuradha V, ruled that the pub failed to issue warnings or safety instructions. (Pexels )

Nearly four years after the incident, the Bengaluru Urban II District Consumer Commission has held the pub responsible for negligence and directed it to pay Rs1 lakh as compensation for medical treatment, mental agony and legal costs, as per a report by Times of India (TOI).

Reportedly, the incident occurred in 2021 on November 20 when Soumya and her friends were at the pub for an evening out. As they waited for their food, the manager persuaded them to try flaming Sambuca shots. During the demonstration, the burning drink accidentally spilled on Soumya’s face and hair, causing serious burns injuries.

Although staff rushed to provide first aid, the injuries became infected the next day, leaving visible scars. Soumya said the ordeal deeply affected her self-esteem, social interactions and marriage prospects. She claimed to have spent over ₹5 lakh on treatment and filed a police complaint shortly after the incident, later approaching the consumer commission.

The pub argued that Soumya had voluntarily ordered the drink and moved her head, causing the spill. However, CCTV footage contradicted the claim made by the pub, showing no sudden movement on Soumya's part. The commission, led by Vijaykumar M Pawale and Anuradha V, ruled that the pub failed to issue warnings or safety instructions under the Consumer Protection Act, as per a TOI report.

Finding the establishment guilty of negligence and deficiency in service, it ordered payment of ₹1 lakh. The commission rejected Soumya’s ₹10 lakh claim, citing verified medical bills of ₹58,139.