FDA Officer Accused of Bribery, Forced to Eat Expired Biscuits by Angry Crowd in Maharashtra
An FDA officer in Maharashtra was surrounded and forced to eat expired biscuits after locals accused him of taking a bribe to shield a shopkeeper.
An official from the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was confronted by an angry crowd in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district after residents accused him of accepting a bribe to protect a local shopkeeper. Video footage shows the officer being cornered as people held up packets of expired biscuits and shouted at him to eat them, with some attempting to push the biscuits into his mouth.
The trouble began when a two-year-old child fell ill and experienced dizziness after consuming a savoury snack mix purchased from a paan shop. The child's condition worsened, prompting the family to rush him to a hospital. This sparked outrage among relatives and neighbours, who lodged a complaint with the FDA office.
When an FDA officer arrived to inspect the shop, locals alleged that the snack mix linked to the incident had already been removed. During the inspection, the officer reportedly found several packets of expired biscuits on sale. However, residents claimed that while the expired products were seized, no strict action was taken against the shopkeeper, leading them to suspect that the officer had been bribed to settle the matter quietly.
As tensions escalated, the crowd surrounded the officer and challenged him to eat the biscuits if they were safe. Some people then forcibly tried to make him consume them. The incident comes as the Maharashtra FDA intensifies its statewide crackdown on food safety violations, including adulteration and the sale of expired products.