Possible influx of Auramine adulterated Chana poses grave health threat in Jammu: Dr. Pardeep Mahotra

JAMMU: Dr. Pardeep Mahotra, Media Incharge, BJP Jammu & Kashmir, has raised a serious alarm over the growing concern that auramine-laced chickpeas (chana) may have begun circulating in markets across Jammu region. He cautioned that if these apprehensions turn out to be true, this dangerous chemical adulteration would pose a direct and severe risk to public health.

Dr. Mahotra appealed to the concerned agencies to conduct an immediate and thorough verification to determine whether adulterated chana is indeed entering Jammu’s market supply chains.

Calling it a “slow poisoning of society,” Dr. Pardeep Mahotra warned that unscrupulous traders in various parts of northern India have been caught coating low-grade chickpeas with auramine, a synthetic dye used in textile industries. The chemical gives chana an artificially bright yellow color and deceptive crunch, but prolonged consumption has been linked to severe health hazards, including higher cancer risk, affecting both humans and domesticated animals.

“Adulteration is not just cheating; it is playing with the lives of innocent people. No economic gain can justify such criminal acts,” Dr. Pardeep asserted, urging the public to stay vigilant and conduct simple home tests to detect fake chana before consumption.

Dr. Mahotra expressed deep concern that similar adulteration practices have already surfaced in other regions of northern India, and if such trends have reached Jammu, the danger could be significant. He noted that Jammu & Kashmir has already witnessed multiple cases of adulterated or expired food items in recent months.

He highlighted several recent recoveries by enforcement teams and police, including expired cheese consignments, adulterated sweets, spurious milk products, and unsafe bakery items, seized during raids in various parts of Jammu, Samba, and Kathua districts. These incidents, he said, reflect a pattern of rising food adulteration that must be confronted with urgency.

Dr. Pardeep urged people of Jammu & Kashmir to immediately report suspicious food items, unusual color or smell in food grains, or any violation of food safety norms to the police, FCS&CA, and Food Safety Department. He strongly appealed to the government to intensify monitoring of mandis, enhance sampling drives, and take swift punitive action against traders and unregistered hawkers dealing in adulterated eatables.

“Public health cannot be compromised. The government must come down with the strictest possible measures to curb this crime. Our children and families deserve safe food,” he said, emphasizing that food adulteration should be treated as a grave crime against society. Dr. Pardeep Mahotra reaffirmed the BJP’s commitment to protecting the people of Jammu & Kashmir from such life-threatening malpractices and ensuring accountability at every level.