‘Zero civic sense’: Clean-up drive in West Bengal turns chaotic after shopkeeper spits on freshly cleaned street

A shopkeeper accused a volunteer of conducting clean-up drives just for fame.

3 min readNew DelhiFeb 5, 2026 04:05 PM IST

In the video, the volunteer shares that the argument escalated as the shopkeepers ganged up against them (Image source: @thebrief.in/Instagram)

Civic sense is one of the most-heated topics dominating social media, with several NGOs and institutions in India attempting to raise awareness. However, a clean-up drive ended up in an altercation after a group of volunteers were heckled by shopkeepers in West Bengal’s Jaigaon.

It all began when the volunteers were cleaning litter, and a shopkeeper spat gutka or tobacco on the streets. Upon confrontation, another shopkeeper accused a volunteer of conducting clean-up drives just for fame. This offended the volunteer, leading to the altercation.

“Civic sense ekdam zero hai. Aise hi toh hamara Jaigaon develop nahi ho raha hai (We have zero civic sense, this is why our Jaigaon is not developing),” the volunteer remarked. “Hum fame lene ke liye nahi… Yeh aap galat bol rahe hain (We are not doing this for fame… You are mistaken),” he told the shopkeeper.

As the video progresses, the volunteer shares that the argument escalated as the shopkeepers ganged up against them. “Bathroom lagega toh kahan jaayenge batao (Where will we go to urinate?),” one of the shopkeepers can be heard saying.

The volunteer recording the video further informs that they had to involve the police to de-escalate. Later, a police officer can be seen arriving at the scene and talking to the shopkeepers. The video was shared by an Instagram handle that goes by the name @thebrief.in.

Watch here:

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The video quickly gained traction, with several social media users hailing the volunteers. “Some people want to see India shine, others just want to make sure the floor matches their teeth,” a user wrote. “IPC Section 188: Spitting, particularly when violating specific public health orders, can lead to charges under Section 188 of the IPC, which carries a punishment of up to 6 months in jail or a fine of up to Rs 1,000, or both,” another user noted.

“As long as they are cleaning it doesn’t matter even if they are doing for fame,” a third user reacted.