Newlyweds, 32 guests fall ill at wedding feast in Bhandup

Police booked the caterer and others over alleged food safety and hygiene violations. The FDA collected samples of raw ingredients for testing.

A wedding celebration in Bhandup turned into a nightmare after 34 people, including the newlyweds, took ill during the wedding feast on Sunday night. All 34 were admitted to various hospitals with symptoms of food poisoning.

The incident took place at Nalanda Buddha Vihar Hall in Nahur (west), where over 400 guests had assembled to celebrate the wedding of Aarati Shirsat and Suraj Wankhede.

On Monday, Bhandup police registered a case against Mulsingh Harisingh Rajpurohit, owner of Kalash Caterers, and other persons, for allegedly serving sub-standard food and alleged hygiene violations. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also collected samples of raw materials from the caterer for examination.

The incident took place at Nalanda Buddha Vihar Hall in Nahur (west), where over 400 guests had assembled to celebrate the wedding of Aarati Shirsat, 19, to Suraj Wankhede, 31. After the feast, Suraj and Aarti soon took ill. Not long after, the guests including children began experiencing symptoms of food poisoning. Family members rushed them to hospitals in Mulund, Vikhroli and Ghatkopar.

Suraj Wankhede, the groom, who is recovering, said, “I booked this hall because our community gets concessions here. We had finalised the menu for 250 people, but the number of guests went up to 400. The caterers served a different type of milk barfi as dessert to guests who ate at the end, instead of that decided by the menu. This may have caused the food poisoning.”

Aarati Shirsat, the bride, hails from Buldhana. She too is recovering at the Mulund hospital along with her sister and grandmother. Shirsat, raised by her grandmother, is pursuing a degree in pharmacy.

FDA officer said, “We have not received samples of the food served to the guests but we have collected samples of the raw materials used by the caterers. Further inspection is underway.”

The caterer has been booked under Section 274 (adulteration of food or drink intended for sale), Section 275 (sale of noxious food or drink), Section 125 (negligence that has endangered human life or the personal safety of others), and Section 286 (negligent conduct with respect to a poisonous substance) of the BNS. Section 59 (sale, storage and distribution of unsafe food for human consumption) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 has also been invoked.