Moga food safety officer suspended at midnight hours after sample collection drive

The food safety officer alleged he was suspended due to political pressure as shopkeepers requested a party leader to get the sample collection drive stopped

The Punjab health department suspended at midnight Moga food safety officer Dr Jatinder Singh after he carried out a drive of collecting samples of sweets on the deputy commissioner’s directions.

Health officials during a food sample collection drive in Ludhiana last month. The Moga food safety officer said they started the drive hat lasted for about four hours before he was suspended at midnight.

No reason was cited for the suspension, it is learnt.

Deputy commissioner Harish Nayar had directed Dr Jatinder and Moga tehsildar Karan Gupta to collect samples with the help of police after receiving a tip-off that adulterated and substandard sweets were being sold in Moga. The DC had said in an order that it was essential to curb the malpractice since it might affect the health of people.

The food safety officer alleged that he was suspended due to political pressure. The shopkeepers who were against the sample collection drive requested a political leader to get the drive stopped, he said.

“The political leader verbally recommended my suspension to the state health department. We started the drive around 3:30pm that lasted for about four hours. A total of 8 samples were collected. But around midnight, I received order of my suspension on WhatsApp with no reason mentioned. In the morning, I came to know that a political leader from Moga had recommended my suspension on the shopkeepers’ request seeking to discontinue the drive.”

“I only did what the administration asked me to do. I have explained to the health department that I was just acting on the DC’s order,” he added.

Deputy commissioner Harish Nayar said he was not aware about the suspension order.

Moga civil surgeon Dr Amarpreet Kaur Bajwa said, “We were not informed about the reasons for Dr Jatinder’s suspension by the department.”

Commissioner (food and drugs administration) Kumar Rahul, who issued the order of Dr Jatinder’s suspension, did not respond to repeated calls and messages.