Bhind: Extortion Scheme Uncovered Under Guise of 'Sampling' by Food Safety Department

Food Safety Department's 'Sampling' Under Scrutiny

Serious questions are being raised about the functioning of the Food Safety Department in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind district. Information received from sources suggests a peculiar 'collection game' is being played in markets under the leadership of department officials Kiran Sengar and Rekha Soni, all under the guise of food item sampling.

While a show of inspecting food items is put on in shops during the day, feigning protection of public health, the real game begins in the evening. The department organizes inspections with mobile food labs and quick kits. During these checks, samples of food items like sweets, milk, curd, and paneer are collected.

The department often highlights these raids in the media, seemingly to pat itself on the back. A climate of fear is created among shopkeepers, compelling them to meet the department's 'demands'.

The True Face of 'Action': 'Settlements' Happen in the Evening

Sources claim the primary objective of these day-long actions is not to protect public health, but to pressure errant shopkeepers and extort money from them. As evening falls, the true, dark reality of these actions emerges. The very shopkeepers targeted during the day are seen queuing up at the officials' residences in the evening.

According to claims, these meetings are where decisions are made on which samples to get 'passed' by the laboratory, which reports to suppress, and which cases will see no action. Consequently, the 'actions' taken by the department become mere theatrics, with the ultimate goal being personal financial gain. This malpractice is tarnishing the core purpose of food safety and is indirectly encouraging adulterators.