200 fall ill after consuming 'adulterated' kuttu atta; AAP hits out at BJP

New Delhi, Sep 23 (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday hit out at the BJP-led Delhi government after more than 200 people fell ill allegedly after consuming adulterated buckwheat flour (kuttu ka atta) during Navratri fasting.

There was no immediate response from the BJP to the allegations. AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the ruling dispensation of neglecting food safety while "being engrossed in dandiya celebrations." "Hundreds of people fell ill after consuming adulterated kuttu ka atta in Delhi. Reports of hundreds being admitted to Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital and patients also reaching Burari hospital … Even in the food of fasting people considered pure during Navratri, adulteration is taking place. And the four-engine government is engrossed in playing dandiya," he posted on X in Hindi.

Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha visited a hospital in his constituency to meet those taken ill.

Leader of Opposition in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Ankush Narang, also attacked the BJP, seeking the party's accountability on the alleged lapse in food safety.

"On the sacred festival like Navratri, the BJP's four-engine government allowed poison to reach devotees' plates. In Jahangirpuri, more than 150 people reached the hospital after consuming buckwheat flour – the question is, how is adulterated stuff reaching Delhi’s markets after all, and who will take responsibility for food safety?" he said.

According to police, around 200 people from Jahangirpuri, Mahendra Park, Samaypur, Bhalswa Dairy, Lal Bagh, and Swaroop Nagar reported uneasiness after consuming food prepared with buckwheat flour.

Police said the patients were stable and no serious case was reported.

Calls regarding the incident started coming in around 6.10 am on Tuesday at Jahangirpuri Police Station.

An investigation into the source of the flour is underway, officials said. PTI MHS VN VN