Vegetable vendor hires bouncers to protect tomatoes in Varanasi Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh):Have you ever heard about a vegetable vendor hiring bouncers for protecting tomatoes? It sounds weird! But yes, it is true, the vendor, who hails from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, hired bouncers to protect the costly vegetable from customers. The vendor was booked by the Uttar Pradesh Police who have arrested a duo and are on the lookout for the vendor.
A kitchen sans tomatoes is unimaginable and every household in India stores tomatoes in their kitchens as the vegetable goes into the majority of the dishes. With the steep rise in tomato prices, a tomato vendor in Varanasi hired bouncers to protect the prized possession.
SP man's novel idea draws State ire-Shop owner Ajay Fauji claimed that he had hired bouncers as people are looting tomatoes as the prices of tomatoes are skyrocketing. Tomatoes are being sold for Rs 160 per kg, he said, in a PTI Video. The vendor who is also a local unit leader of Samajwadi Party is now on the run after UP Police has registered a case against him for his creative stunt.
In the video, when one of the customers approaches to pick the tomatoes, but he was stopped from touching them, as per the directive of the vendor unless and until when they are sure the customer is ready to buy the tomatoes they are allowing them to go near them, or else they are being stopped.
Also read:Rising tomato prices: Mcdonald's drops veggie from food products
Jagnarayan, a vegetable vendor, says "Prices of vegetables are spiralling these days, but the tomato is the most expensive. Customers bargain to buy tomatoes, but we cannot sell the vegetable as per the rate quoted by them." Customers are complaining about not being able to buy the vegetable as it has become quite expensive.
Sudha Jha, a customer, said, "Bouncers are not allowing us to touch the tomatoes. In order to pick the good ones we have to touch them, or else how can we spend so much on them? I bought three tomatoes for Rs 35." Vijay Kumar Yadav, a customer, said, "I have bought 250 gms of tomatoes for Rs 35. When there are 10 people in the family, what will we do with those tomatoes?
In a tweet, PTI said: Earlier today, PTI tweeted a story about a vegetable vendor in Varanasi hiring bouncers in light of high price of tomatoes. It has since come to our notice that the vendor is a worker of the Samajwadi Party, and his motive for giving us the information was questionable. We have, therefore, removed the tweet. We erred in not verifying the antecedents of the source for the story, and failed to meet the high standards of accuracy and fairness we set for ourselves. We assure our readers that PTI remains committed to delivering accurate and unbiased news.
(This story has been updated by ETV Bharat to identify the vegetable vendor as a local unit leader of Samajwadi Party and to add the rejoinder from PTI.)
