Rohan Umak
Bhopal RGPV Lizard in meal: A bizarre controversy has erupted at the Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV) in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal, after students alleged that they discovered a dead lizard found in a meal served at the university canteen. What added to the shock was the fact that when a canteen staffer was shown the dead reptile, he dismissed it as ‘capsicum’ and even ate it in front of the students in a bid to clear the air.
Incident took place on March 18
The incident, as per media reports, took place on March 18, 2026, and its video began making the rounds on the internet on Monday. According to the students, they noticed an unusual object in the vegetable dish. Suspecting it to be a dead lizard, they immediately raised an alarm and called the canteen staff.
What followed left many stunned. As per eyewitness accounts, a staff member picked it up and ate it in front of the students and insisted that it was merely capsicum, rejecting the allegations outright.
The entire incident, which was captured on video, quickly circulated on social media platforms, intensifying public scrutiny and fuelling debate over food hygiene standards in educational institutions.
Watch the viral video below:
#Watch: Student found a lizard in mess food at UIT RGPV Bhopal. Staff denied it and claimed it was capsicum; one staff member reportedly ate it. #IndiaNews #Bhopal #College #JaagIndia pic.twitter.com/2jL8qv8msX
— Jaag India (@thejaagindia) March 22, 2026
Bhopal RGPV Lizard in meal: Varsity orders probe
Amid mounting concerns and the viral clip, the RGPV administration has constituted an inquiry committee to ascertain the facts. RGPV Director Sudhir Bhadoria assured that student health and safety remain paramount, adding that strict action would follow if any negligence is established. The canteen operator has still maintained that the item was a piece of capsicum and not a reptile.
Separate incident adds to concerns
In a separate case reported from Giaspura, a dead lizard was found inside a chocobar ice-cream recently. A seven-year-old child who had already consumed it partially noticed the dead reptile, and was rushed to a nearby clinic, where he was declared stable after a medical evaluation. The local health authorities imposed a penalty on the manufacturers for failing to maintain hygiene standards.
