Rs 1 lakh fine to prevent ‘spit jihad’: Uttarakhand govt issues guidelines

The Uttarakhand government has issued detailed guidelines to prevent people from spitting in food, announced a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh, and mandated police verification of hotel and dhaba staff and the installation of CCTV cameras in their kitchens.

The state police and the health department issued separate guidelines days after Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami termed such incidents “thook (spit) jihad”, and said stern action will be taken against the offenders.

Recent arrests

Two men were recently arrested in Mussoorie for allegedly spitting into fruit juice glasses before serving them to tourists. A video from Dehradun had also gone viral in which a cook could be seen allegedly spitting while making dough for rotis.

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Health Minister Dhan Singh Rawat said safety and purity of food is top priority of his government during the festive season. Any kind of impurity or anti-social activities will not be tolerated during the festivals, Rawat said.

Guidelines issued

Director General of Police Abhinav Kumar issued the guidelines to district police chiefs in keeping with the chief minister’s warning to offenders.

A 100 per cent verification of people working in business establishments such as hotels and dhabas should be done, the guidelines said, adding business managers should be encouraged to install CCTV cameras in their kitchens.

What police can do

District police can take the help of local intelligence units to prevent such incidents in open spaces like kiosks and pushcarts. Special attention should also be paid to this during patrolling, the guidelines said. Police can also take the help of the Health and Food Department for random checks at hotels and dhabas, according to the provisions.

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The DGP said the offenders should be booked under Section 274 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (adulteration of food and drink intended for sale) and Section 81 of the Uttarakhand Police Act (arrest without warrant for creating public nuisance, knowingly spreading rumours or causing false alarm to mislead police, fire brigade or any essential service).

Insult to religious beliefs

If the act has an adverse effect on religion, ethnicity, language, etc., action should also be taken under relevant Section 196 (1) (B) (promoting enmity between different groups based on religion, race, language, place of birth, or residence) or 299 of BNS (deliberate and malicious acts that are intended to insult the religious beliefs or religion of any class of citizens in India).

A public awareness campaign should also be run in coordination with the Health and Food Department, Municipal Corporation/District Panchayat, Municipal Councils and local people, the guidelines said.

SOP from administration

Health Secretary and Commissioner of Food Safety and Drug Administration Department R Rajesh Kumar also issued a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) which mandates strict action against offenders including a fine ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh.

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The guidelines have been issued taking cognisance of the videos of incidents of spitting in food items in commercial establishments such as hotels and dhabas in Dehradun and Mussoorie and in compliance with the instructions of the chief minister, Kumar said.

On Tuesday, the BJP government in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh said it will bring in two ordinances to make food contamination by spitting or mixing any other human waste a cognisable and non-bailable offence.

(With agency inputs)