BMC official Rakesh Pawar reacts to his video of drinking sanitiser instead of water

In a bizarre incident, Ramesh Pawar, BMC Jt Commissioner mistakenly sipped a mouthful of hand sanitizer instead of water on Wednesday. The incident happened just before Joint Municipal Commissioner Ramesh Pawar prepared himself to read and table the civic body's annual education budget 2021-2022.

In a video of the incident which has gone viral, Pawar apparently picked up a bottle of a clear liquid lying before him, opened it and took a swig, but suddenly appeared to choke on it.

Pawar has now reacted to the viral video and said,"I thought that I should drink water before starting my speech so I lifted the bottle & drank. Bottles of water & sanitiser kept there, were similar. So it happened. As soon as I drank it, I realised the mistake & didn't gulp it all the way down"

It may be recalled that last Sunday (January 31), in a serious lapse, 12 minor kids were administered oral drops of hand sanitizer instead of the polio vaccine dose in a government primary health centre in Yavatmal district.

All the children aged between 1-5 were discharged from hospital after three days of treatment but the government took a grim view of the incident and suspended at least three nurses and other officials for negligence of duty.

I thought that I should drink water before starting my speech so I lifted the bottle & drank. Bottles of water & sanitiser kept there, were similar. So it happened. As soon as I drank it, I realised the mistake & didn't gulp it all the way down: Ramesh Pawar, BMC Jt Commissioner pic.twitter.com/xCKBaTey9v

— ANI (@ANI) February 3, 2021