A widely circulated video on social media is going viral purportedly showing that a street food vendor in Chandigarh is using diesel to cook ‘paratha’.
The footage shows a man preparing the paratha, claiming it to be a “diesel paratha” and pouring what appears to be diesel on it. This sparked outrage, demanding an investigation from India’s food regulatory authority.
In response to the uproar, the owner of the food stall, Channi Singh, clarified that they do not serve “diesel parathas” and attributed the video to a blogger’s attempt at humor. Singh emphasised their commitment to serving hygienic food and assured that they only use edible oil in their cooking.
“We neither make any such thing as ‘diesel paratha’ nor serve any such thing to customers. A blogger had made that video just for fun,” he told the news agency ANI.
Additionally, he asserted that it is “common sense” that no one would eat a paratha made with diesel rather than the traditional ghee, butter, or oil. “We provide hygienic food to people here. We don’t play with people’s lives,” he said, adding that they only use edible oil.
Furthermore, Singh claimed that the food blogger who created the video had since removed it and that he was unaware of its viral nature.
Food Blogger Apologises
The food blogger who made the video, Amanpreet Singh, issued an apology on Tuesday, stating that he “deeply regretted” the content of his most recent production.
Singh, known as “oyefoodiesingh” on Instagram, uploaded a fresh video where he appeared alongside the food joint’s owner, affirming that the parathas were cooked in cooking oil, not diesel.
“To the esteemed Chandigarh Administration, the gracious people of Chandigarh, and the entirety of India, I humbly extend my sincerest apologies. I deeply regret the content of my recent video and acknowledge the distress it may have caused,” he said.
