Two states in India governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced plans to impose heavy fines and imprisonment for contaminating food with spit, urine, and dirt this month.
Uttarakhand will impose fines of up to ₹100,000, equivalent to $1,190; £920, while neighboring Uttar Pradesh is set to introduce strict regulations.
These actions follow the spread of unverified social media videos showing vendors spitting on food, including one clip of a house help mixing urine into a meal.
While the videos sparked outrage and concerns about food safety, some also fueled blame campaigns against Muslims, which were later debunked by fact-checkers who identified the woman in the video as Hindu, reports BBC.
Officials believe strict laws are necessary to deter unhygienic practices, but critics argue that they could target specific communities.
The Indian Express described the proposed ordinances as exploiting majority views on purity to marginalize vulnerable groups.
‘Thook-Jihad’
Earlier this month, police in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, arrested one Naushad Ali and Hasan Ali for allegedly spitting in a saucepan while making tea.
The videos of the incident circulated on social media before their arrest, leading some Hindu nationalist accounts to label it "thook-jihad" or "spit-jihad."
This term, a play on "love-jihad," is used by radical Hindu groups to accuse Muslim men of converting Hindu women through marriage, implying that "thook-jihad" aims to contaminate Hindus by spitting in their food.
This incident is not the first where the Muslim community has faced spitting accusations.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, fake videos emerged on social media showing Muslims spitting, sneezing, or licking objects to spread the virus.
These videos fueled religious polarization, with Hindu hardline accounts promoting anti-Muslim rhetoric.
