Getty ImagesLast week, two states ruled by India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced plans to impose hefty fines and jail terms for contaminating food with spit, urine and feces.
The northern state of Uttarakhand will fine offenders up to 100,000 rupees ($1,190; £920), while neighboring Uttar Pradesh will introduce tougher laws to tackle the issue.
The government orders followed the circulation of unverified videos on social media showing vendors spitting food in restaurants and bars – and one video showing house help mixing urine into the food they were preparing.
While the videos provoked outrage among users, many expressing concern about food safety in these provinces, some videos also became the subject of blame campaigns against Muslims, which they were later debunked by fact-checking websites.
They pointed out that many on social media suspected that the woman who was putting urine in the food was a Muslim, but the police then pointed out that she was a Hindu.
Officials say stricter laws are needed and are aimed at preventing people from engaging in unsanitary food practices, but opposition leaders and legal experts question the effectiveness of the laws and say they could be misused to demoralize certain communities.
The Indian Express criticized the policies proposed by Uttar Pradesh, saying they “work as a community. [sectarian] a dog whistle that exploits the majority’s notions of cleanliness and impurity and targets an already insecure minority”.
Food and eating habits are sensitive topics in multicultural India as it is deeply intertwined with religion and the country’s caste system. Food customs and taboos sometimes lead to conflict between communities, causing feelings of distrust. As a result, the concept of “food safety” has also become involved in religion, which is sometimes used to identify the motive behind suspected cases of contamination.
Food safety is also a major concern in India, where the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) estimates that food is unsafe. it causes about 600 million illnesses and 400,000 deaths annually.
Experts cite various reasons for India’s food insecurity, including inadequate enforcement of food safety laws and lack of awareness. Overcrowded kitchens, dirty dishes, dirty water, and improper transportation and storage practices compromise food safety.
So, when videos of vendors spitting out food came out, people were shocked and outraged. Soon after, Uttarakhand announced steep fines for violators and made it mandatory for police to verify hotel staff and for CCTV to be installed in kitchens.
In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath he said to stop such incidentsthe police must ensure all work. The government also plans to make it mandatory for food establishments to reveal the names of their owners, for chefs and waiters to wear masks and gloves and for CCTV to be installed in hotels and restaurants.
According to reports, Adityanath is planning to introduce two laws that will punish spitting in food. and imprisonment up to 10 years.
Amit SainiIn July, the Supreme Court of India did just that stayed the guidelines issued by the government of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh is asking people running restaurants on the route of the Kanwar yatra – the annual Hindu pilgrimage – to prominently display the names and other identification details of their owners. The petitioners told the high court that the orders target Muslims unfairly and will adversely affect their businesses.
On Wednesday, police in Barakanki town arrested restaurant owner Mohammad Irshad for allegedly spitting out roti (flat bread) while preparing it. Mr. Irshad has been charged with disturbing religious peace and harmony, the Hindustan Times reported.
Earlier this month, police in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, arrested two men – Naushad Ali and Hasan Ali – for allegedly spitting on a pan while making tea, accusing them of creating public anger and endangering life, The Hindu reported.
Videos of the men spitting, which surfaced on social media days before they were arrested, were given credit after several Hindu nationalist accounts were launched. calling it “thook-jihad” incidents or “spit-jihad”.
The term is a spin on “love-jihad” coined by radical Hindu groups, which they use to accuse Muslim men of converting Hindu women through marriage. Additionally, “thook-jihad” accuses Muslims of trying to defile Hindus by spitting on their food.
Getty ImagesIt is not the first time that the Muslim community has been the victim of accusations of spitting. During the Covid-19 pandemic, a series of fake videos depicting Muslims spitting, sneezing or licking things to infect people with the virus was spread on social media. The videos fueled religious divisions, with hardline Hindu accounts posting anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Opposition leaders in the two BJP-ruled states have criticized the new orders, saying they could be used to target Muslims and that the government is using the orders as a smokescreen to divert attention from other pressing issues such as unemployment and inflation.
But Manish Sayana, Uttarakhand’s food safety officer, says the government’s orders are only aimed at making food safe for consumption. He told the BBC that food safety officers and the police have started checking restaurants and “are urging people to wear masks and gloves and install CCTV” wherever they go for checks.
Legal expert and journalist V Venkatesan says there is a need to discuss new laws and regulations regarding food safety in the meeting.
“According to me, the existing laws [under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006] are sufficient to take care of any cases connected with food safety. So, one needs to ask why there is a need for these new laws and regulations?” he asks.
“Governments think that laws that impose harsh punishments will prevent people from committing crimes, but research shows that the proper implementation of laws prevents people from committing crimes. So the existing laws are not being used properly in these states? ?”
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