BMC Official accidently drinks hand sanitiser instead of water

Feb 04, 2021

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 4 : In an unusual incident, Brihanmumbai Municipal Council (BMC) Joint Commissioner Ramesh Pawar mistook a bottle of hand sanitiser for water and accidentally sipped from it, while presenting the civic body's Education Budget here on Wednesday.
Addressing media after the incident, Pawar said that the mix-up took place as the two bottles were placed together on his table and looked similar.
"I felt I should drink some water before starting my speech so I reached for the bottle and accidentally picked up a bottle of hand sanitiser. Both the bottles looked similar but as soon as I took a sip, I realised my mistake and didn't gulp it all the way down," Pawar said.
A video of the incident showed Pawar lifting and drinking from the bottle and immediately spitting it out after realising it was not water. A few of those present in the room who noticed him grabbing the sanitiser bottle rushed to point it out and offered him a bottle of water.
After the incident, Pawar was seen stepping out of the hall to which he later returned and presented the budget.
Meanwhile, on January 31, twelve children, aged between one and five, were administered hand sanitiser instead of the polio vaccine at a Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra.