Uttarakhand govt issues guidelines to prevent ‘spit jihad’ with fines up to ₹1 lakh

Uttarakhand govt issues guidelines to prevent ‘spit jihad’ with fines up to ₹1 lakh

he Uttarakhand government issued guidelines on Wednesday to prevent incidents of ‘spitting in food’ with fines reaching up to ₹1 lakh, news agency PTI reported. Separate guidelines were released by the state police and health department after chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami referred to such acts as ‘thook (spit) jihad,’ vowing strict measures against offenders.

The guidelines also require police verification of staff at hotels and dhabas and mandate the installation of CCTV cameras in their kitchens. The BJP government in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh also announced plans to introduce two ordinances that will make food contamination through spitting or mixing human waste a cognizable and non-bailable offence.

Recent incidents in Uttarakhand

Two men were recently arrested in Uttarakhand's Mussoorie for allegedly spitting into fruit juice glasses before serving them to tourists.

In another incident, a viral video from Dehradun showed a cook allegedly spitting while preparing dough for rotis. State health minister Dhan Singh Rawat said that food safety and purity are top priorities for the government during the upcoming festival season, warning that any impurity or anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated.

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

What do the guidelines say?

- The guidelines advise district police to use local intelligence units to prevent incidents in open areas like kiosks and pushcarts. They also call for 100 per cent verification of employees in hotels and dhabas and encourage business managers to install CCTV cameras in kitchens

- Police are urged to pay special attention to these issues during patrolling and collaborate with the Health and Food Department for random checks at hotels and dhabas.

- The DGP said that offenders should be charged under Section 274 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita for food adulteration and Section 81 of the Uttarakhand Police Act for public nuisance or spreading false alarms.

- If an act negatively impacts religion, ethnicity, or language, relevant sections such as 196(1)(B) (promoting enmity) or 299 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (insulting religious beliefs) should be applied.

- The Health and Food Department, local government bodies, and the public should be involved in a public awareness campaign.

- Health Secretary R Rajesh Kumar issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) mandating strict fines for offenders, ranging from ₹25,000 to ₹1 lakh.

- The guidelines were issued in response to videos showing incidents of spitting in food items at hotels and dhabas in Dehradun and Mussoorie, following instructions from the chief minister.