The row started after Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu alleged that animal tallow was found in ghee used to make the Prasad at the temple and his party cited a report from NDDB as the basis for the claim. (File Photo)
A senior official of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) on Saturday filed a complaint against several social media users on X for allegedly defaming Amul and spreading rumours that they had supplied the ghee to Tirupati Balaji temple that allegedly had animal fat.
Hemant Gauni, Deputy General Manager (Sales) at GCMMF, in his complaint stated that he had travelled to Delhi on September 20. When he reached Ahmedabad airport at about 6:30 pm, he was scrolling on the social media site X (formerly Twitter), when he saw that several users had posted that it was ‘Amul’ that supplied the ghee with animal fat in it. This ghee was then used to make the laddus at the Tirupati Balaji temple.
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Gauni claimed in the FIR, filed at Cybercrime Police Station in Ahmedabad, that the posts on the social media site were made in enmity, to defame and cause harm to the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which owns the Amul brand by spreading rumours.
The police have named the X handles ‘Spirit of Congress’, ‘Banjara1991’, ‘chandanAIPC’, ‘SecularBengali’, ‘rahul_1700’, ‘profapm’ and ‘prettypadmaja’ as accused in the FIR.
The row started after Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu alleged that animal tallow was found in ghee used to make the Prasad at the temple and his party cited a report from NDDB as the basis for the claim.
However, the supplier of the ghee to the temple, AR Dairy, later denied this.
Brendan Dabhi works with The Indian Express, focusing his comprehensive reporting primarily on Gujarat. He covers the region's most critical social, legal, and administrative sectors, notably specializing at the intersection of health, social justice, and disasters.
Expertise
Health and Public Policy: He has deep expertise in healthcare issues, including rare diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), the complex logistics of organ transplants, and public health challenges like drug-resistant TB and heat health surveillance. His on-ground reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic and Mucormycosis was critical in exposing healthcare challenges faced by marginalized communities in Gujarat.
Social Justice and Legal Administration: He reports on the functioning of the legal and police system, including the impact of judicial philosophy, forensics and crucial administrative reforms (. He covers major surveillance and crackdown exercises by the Gujarat police and security on the international border.
Disaster and Crisis Management: His work closely tracks how government and civic bodies respond to large-scale crises, providing essential coverage on the human and administrative fallout of disasters including cyclones, floods, conflict, major fires and reported extensively on the AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad.
Civic Infrastructure and Governance: Provides timely reports on critical civic failures, including large scale infrastructure projects by the railways and civic bodies, as well as the enforcement of municipal regulations and their impact on residents and heritage. ... Read More
