Viral Video is not related to food adulteration incident in Haryana - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 21, 2023
A video depicting certain individuals misbehaving with hotel staff is being widely on social media. The claim accompanying the video asserts that it exposes Shama Biryani Dhaba in Pinjore, Haryana, for allegedly using drain water in their Biryani preparation. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video exposing Biryani Dhaba in Pinjore, Haryana for using drain water in Biryani Preparation.
Fact: Police and local media reports confirm that the incident is related to the restaurant discharging sewage water. Workers of the Bajrang Dal lodged a complaint against the restaurant owner, leading to his written apology. Neither the complaint nor the apology letter from the Dhaba owner mentions the use of drain water in Biryani preparation. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Conducting an internet search using relevant keywords led us to a local news report concerning this video. As per the report, a recent complaint was raised with the Pinjore police station by workers of Bajrang Dal regarding the prolonged spreading of filth on the road by Sham Dhaba. When the video addressing this issue gained traction on social media, Shama Dhaba’s owner, Suwan Ali, issued a written apology for the situation and pledged to avoid such actions in the future. Nevertheless, neither the complaint nor the apology letter from the Dhaba owner makes any mention of the utilization of drain water in Biryani preparation.
Additionally, in a conversation with the media, restaurant owner Suwan Ali denied the allegation of using sewage water for food preparation. He clarified that the incident transpired on the night of 14 August 2023. With the sweeper, who typically cleans the gutter daily, being absent for two consecutive days, the sewage water began overflowing. The staff on-site stored the unclean water in a ground-level tank due to the absence of a nearby drain, intending to dispose of it later via a tanker. Given the limited tank capacity, a portion of the unclean water was drained onto the road. Subsequently, certain individuals arrived at the shop and behaved improperly with the hotel staff. Ali also shared a video with the Newsmobile showing the drinking water facilities at his restaurant.
Contrary to the viral claim, the Pinjore police confirmed that this is not a case of selling Biryani cooked in contaminated water. The actual issue pertained to nearby shops having a grievance against the Biryani shop due to the discharge of polluted water onto the road. During this time, a few individuals mistreated the Biryani Hotel staff. However, the matter was later resolved through a discussion involving both parties. Although we were unable to independently verify the restaurant’s hygiene practices, it is evident that the viral video does not depict the incident of Shama Biryani Dhaba employing drain water in Biryani preparation.
To sum it up, a video depicting an incident involving a restaurant discharging sewage water is being circulated as if it were showing the use of drain water in food preparation.