India Today ·
Real Life Singham! Why India needs more Tukaram Mundhes
Maharashtra FDA chief Tukaram Mundhe widened food safety raids to ISKCON-run eateries and festival-season markets. The action has sharpened a wider debate on equal enforcement, bureaucratic independence and public trust.
Tukaram Mundhe's raids have also taken place ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi, the most widely celebrated festival in Maharashtra. When I spoke to him about it, his response was characteristically direct: the law is not religion-specific. Anyone who violates it will be brought to task.
Last week, Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration turned its attention to eateries run by ISKCON, the highly popular Krishna Consciousness movement. For millions of devotees, ISKCON is far more than just another institution. It is a global religious and spiritual movement with an enormous following and a powerful public presence. But the message from Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe was unmistakable.
No one is above the law. Not a small roadside eatery. Not a fashionable restaurant. Not a powerful food business. And, if there are violations of food safety rules, not even an institution with the popularity and influence of ISKCON. The data is clear: in the 100 days since he took over, the Mundhe led FDA has exposed more cases of food adulteration than in the previous 18 months.
