New Delhi: A video has gone viral on social media platforms claiming a food vendor in Chandigarh uses diesel to cook parathas, a popular flatbread. The three-minute-long video begins with a man at a roadside restaurant rolling out a dough and stuffing it with the aloo (potato) mixture.
When asked what he was cooking by the person shooting the video, he replies that he was making a "diesel paratha".
He then bakes it in a pan and pours an excessive amount of oil on the paratha, saying it is diesel. In the video, the man at the dhaba also claims that the "diesel parathas" were sold to about 300 people every day.
The video sparked an outrage on social media with people demanding India's food regulator, the FSSAI, to begin an investigation.
After the backlash, Channi Singh, the owner of the food joint, clarified that they don't make "any such thing as diesel paratha".
"We neither make any such thing as 'diesel paratha' nor serve any such thing to customers. A blogger had made that video just for fun," he told the news agency ANI.
He also said that it is "common sense" that nobody would consume a paratha -- traditionally fried in ghee, butter, or oil -- prepared in diesel.
"We provide hygienic food to people here. We don't play with people's lives," he said, adding that they only use edible oil.
Mr Singh also said that he didn't know that the video was going viral and that the food blogger, who made the video, has now deleted it.
Food Blogger Apologises For "Diesel Parathas"
Amanpreet Singh, the food blogger who made the video, apologised on Tuesday and said that he "deeply regretted" the content of his recent video.
Mr Singh, who goes by the name "oyefoodiesingh" on Instagram, posted a new video standing alongside the owner of the food joint and said that the paranthas were fried in cooking oil and not diesel.
"To the esteemed Chandigarh Administration, the gracious people of Chandigarh, and the entirety of India, I humbly extend my sincerest apologies. I deeply regret the content of my recent video and acknowledge the distress it may have caused," he said.
"I am profoundly sorry for any offense taken. Your understanding and forgiveness would mean a great deal to me," he added.