NEW DELHI: After such cases in Meerut and Ghaziabad, two men working in a restaurant in Khyala in west Delhi have been arrested for the reprehensible act of spitting on the dough while preparing naan. This act of the two natives of Kishanganj in Bihar went viral on social media, alerting the cops.
While the men claimed to use spittle to make the naan stick to the tandoor, police are probing allegations that this was in fact a malicious and deliberate act. The restaurant has also been booked for operating without a licence.
According to police, they received information about the incident when people tagged the Twitter handle of @DCPWestDelhi and other officers, complaining about the unhygienic and unacceptable act of spitting on the dough in the process of making rotis and naan. An image and a video of the act were also brought to their notice.
“Personnel at Khyala police station were asked to identify the food outlet shown on the viral video. They discovered it was Hotel Chand, located in N Block of Vishnu Garden. The hotel is run by one Aamir," said Urvija Goel, DCP (West).
The two workers seen in the viral video have been identified as Sabi Anwer, in a blue T-shirt, and Ibrahim. Police registered an FIR against them under sections 269 and 270 of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to negligent and malignant acts likely to spread infection or disease dangerous to life. Section 272 (adulteration of food) and Section 273 (selling noxious food) have also been invoked. Aamir has also been booked under the Delhi Police Act for running an eatery without permission.
In the wake of the incident, police have cautioned restaurants and dhabas to ensure cleanliness and prevent practices like these.
Last month, a man was arrested in Meerut after being caught on camera spitting on the dough while preparing rotis at a wedding function. The accused was identified as Naushad. Last week, a 22-year-old Mohammad Mohsin was arrested in Ghaziabad after a video went viral showing him spitting on the roti dough. Mohsin had been engaged by a caterer for an engagement ceremony in Bhojpur, police said. These incidents caused an uproar on social media with users calling for a closer monitoring of eateries and their practices.