Monday Musing: A Cult Hero or a Reformer in a Hurry?
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By Amitabh Srivastava| Edited by Adam Rizvi, The India Observer (TIO): Mumbai, the business capital of India, seems to have given the country an unexpected new hero at a time when young people are taking to the streets against the political leadership.
Since May this year, Tukaram Mundhe, Commissioner of the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) of Maharashtra, has been making national headlines for cracking down on food adulterators and shutting down hotels and eateries.
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The 2005-batch Indian Administrative Service officer made international headlines about two weeks ago when he sent notices to three prominent Bollywood actors for indirectly promoting tobacco.
Taking objection to a popular advertising campaign that appeared every time one switched on the television or visited a news website, featuring Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff, notices were sent to their homes accusing them of promoting tobacco.
The notice read:
“Upon examination of the said advertisement, it prima facie appears that the advertisement promotes the Vimal brand, which is mainly associated with Pan Masala, a product prohibited for manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution and sale in the State of Maharashtra for a period of one year, with effect from the date specified in the Prohibition Order dated the 13th July, 2026, issued by the Commissioner of Food Safety, Maharashtra State, under Section 30(2)(a) of the FSS Act, 2006.”
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It is not as though he did not know he was stepping on a landmine. Having been in service for 20 years, Tukaram Mundhe said in interviews that he had been transferred 25 times during his career, but that this would not affect his zeal or his campaign.
Efforts to clip his wings, however, appear to have already begun.
Within days of the notice, though not directly connected to the case, the Bombay High Court delivered a judgment ordering the FDA to compensate a sweet shop in Pune with Rs 5 lakh for closing it down, after the court found that the shop had 90 per cent compliance in place.
Mundhe, however, stuck to his guns.
Speaking to the media, he said he would contest the order legally but stood by his decision because several consumers had complained of food poisoning, forcing authorities to inspect the eatery.
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But he was not as lucky the next time.
Very recently, his department entered the premises of the influential pharmaceutical company Cipla and shut down operations for allegedly manufacturing a prescription drug without appropriate instructions.
The High Court intervened again, calling the action high-handed, and this time the FDA had to immediately remove the locks from the premises.
In yet another case, the Bombay High Court expressed its exasperation.
The FDA had closed down canteens run by the Mumbai Cricket Association for not maintaining proper cleanliness.
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The association went to court, saying that the necessary changes had been made and that more than 80 per cent compliance was already in place, as reflected during a second inspection.
The judges showed their clear annoyance, asking the FDA—read Tukaram—: “Do you think you are the Lord? We appreciate the work you are doing, but don’t violate the legal procedure when taking action.”
The court ordered the FDA to allow the five canteens to function after improvements had been made and compliance requirements met.
The notices sent to Bollywood stars reminded old-timers in the media of the historical controversies surrounding the sale of tobacco products as ‘Pan Masala’ and ‘Gutka’.
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Despite widespread knowledge about their dangers to human life, pan masala manufacturers continue to be among the biggest sponsors of sporting and film award programmes in India and abroad.
About 20 years ago, the makers of Rajnigandha Pan Masala went to the extent of publishing advertisements in newspapers claiming that chewing tobacco was not dangerous and that it was smoking that killed people.
As a journalist, I remember asking the well-known Dr K.K. Aggarwal, head of the Heart Care Foundation, about this. He was categorical.
“If you chew Pan Masala, you’ll die of mouth cancer, and if you smoke, you die of lung cancer. The choice is yours. Moreover, I feel Gutka is more dangerous because it is easily available and dirt cheap. That is why women, maid servants and others can procure it and use it freely.”
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K.K. Aggarwal was not only an authority on cardiology but also a dear friend of the media. After his views were published, the Health Secretary issued notices to the company, and it subsequently made changes in the composition to address safety concerns.
Shah Rukh Khan and other actors also remind me of another controversial advertising campaign promoting soft drinks.
There was a time when Dr Sunita Narain, head of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), came out with findings that soft drinks in India contained pesticides and impurities that made them hazardous to health.
There was a lull for about a year, after which stars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan, among others, again started promoting soft drinks on television.
I spoke to Sunita Narain and asked how she felt when, despite her campaign, Bollywood stars had started endorsing colas once again.
She replied: “Look, everyone is doing a job. Their job is to endorse the brands. My job is to educate and create awareness. I get a lot of feedback from parents that after our exposure, their children had given up drinking soft drinks. That is enough reward for me.”
Today, Tukaram Mundhe has become something of a cult figure in India. Raids to check food adulteration have become common in many parts of the country, and the common man appears more than happy.
And this is making an impact even among the top echelons of the judiciary.
The Supreme Court of India, two days ago, asked the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) to direct food packaging companies to prominently display warnings on the front of their products, in large fonts, indicating when levels of salt, sugar and unhealthy fats could be harmful, especially for children.
Meanwhile, Tukaram Mundhe is being interviewed by almost every media channel and newspaper about the challenges ahead.
Undeterred by frequent transfers, this 2005-batch IAS officer has been enforcing food safety norms across private and government eateries and canteens.
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Till the last count, the FDA Maharashtra had carried out 1,331 inspections, seized food stocks worth Rs 50 crore, including 1.6 lakh litres of adulterated milk, and suspended the licences of 56 restaurants since May 25, when he took charge of his new responsibility.
He has even set up a toll-free number for people to register complaints and is reportedly receiving a huge response.
But at a time when Indian celebrities—be they cricketers, film stars or prominent comedians earning crores through television and talk shows—are opening food joints, one never knows where he might trip and suddenly be turned from a hero into a villain.
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