An eight-year-old boy was allegedly bit by a rat while dining at a McDonald’s outlet in Kompally, Hyderabad. CCTV visuals of the incident that occurred on March 8 have since gone viral on social media. The video shows a rat crawling towards the table where the boy and his parents are seated, to which the three of them react with alarm, and the restaurant staff hurrying to their table.
According to a complaint filed by the boy’s father Savio Henriques, the boy was in shock and screaming in pain and fear as the rat climbed up his left leg and entered his shorts. The father said he picked his son off the seat, pulled the rat out of his shorts with his palm, and threw it away. Based on the complaint, a first information report (FIR) has been registered by the Petbasheerabad police under Section 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), against the restaurant management.
Recalling the incident, the boy’s father wrote in his complaint that the incident occurred around 10.40 pm on March 8, at a McDonald’s outlet on the ground floor of Hotel SPG Grand in Kompally. The boy and his parents were having their meal when a rat came out of the toilet inside the restaurant, the complaint alleged. “Even though the entire staff of the restaurant was present, there was no visible preventive reaction by them to curb the escaping rodent,” the complaint said.
RODENT ATTACK ON A CHILD in the McDonald’s restaurent Ground Floor, SPG Hotel, Kompally, Hyderabad, Telangana 500096.@McDonalds @mcdonaldsindia @consumercourtin @PiyushGoyalOffc @director_food @AFCGHMC @fooddeptgoi @TOIIndiaNews @TOIHyderabad @ABPNews @ndtv @ChildWelfareGov pic.twitter.com/wrjeQgAiBh
— Savio H (@SHenrixs) March 10, 2023
It also said that the boy and his mother were traumatised by the incident. Calling it a health hazard, the complaint pointed to a lack of hygiene and sanitation at the restaurant. The boy sustained wounds from the rat bite and was rushed to a military medical inspection room in Bowenpally, where he was administered tetanus and rabies vaccines, the complaint said. Further, it sought action against the restaurant management. Petbasheerabad Inspector P Ramakrishna, who is investigating the case, said that a notice will be served to the restaurant.