Two tea sellers from Mussoorie arrested for ‘promoting enmity’ after video of ‘spitting’ into pan

In his complaint, Bishnoi claimed that he saw one of the two men who were selling tea at Mussoorie’s Library Chowk repeatedly spitting into the pan, and shot the video.

The two men have been booked under sections 196 (1) (b) (pertains to actions that promote enmity or hatred between different religious groups, potentially inciting communal tensions), 274 (adulteration of food or drink intended for sale), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), and 351 (criminal intimidation) and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

“The accused, by this act, not only played with the health of the people but also tried to provoke them by hurting their religious sentiments. In view of the seriousness of the incident, Senior Superintendent of Police, Dehradun, constituted a team by directing Inspector in-charge Mussoorie to arrest the accused immediately,” the police said.

According to the statement, the two men had allegedly absconded from Mussoorie and were arrested from near Ashkrodi, some 40 kilometres away.