Rat in sambar triggers panic near Govt Hospital

A rat in the sambar, a side dish, purchased from a hotel near Government Hospital triggered panic in the area, prompting the health department officials to conduct inquiry and checks in the hotels.
One Thamaraiselvi of Ramanathapuram in the city had purchased food for dinner last night for her mother, an in patient in the Government Hospital, police said.
As she poured the sambar in the plate, to her shock she noticed a small rat in it.
She immediately went to the hotel and created a scene there. Hearing the complaints, many attendants of other patients in the hospital rushed to the hotel, triggering panic in the area, police said.

Sensing trouble, the hotel employees downed the shutters and managed to escape and some other nearby hotels also closed the shop, police said.
A food inspector visited the place and heard the complaint and took the rat and sambar for testing, health department sources said.
Considering the incident, the department has decided to carry out regular checks in hotels for quality and cleanliness, particularly those near hospitals and schools, they said.