NCSC issues notice to Zomato over controversial 'Kachra' ad
New Delhi, Jun 13: The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has issued a notice to restaurant aggregator Zomato over a controversial ad which showed actor Aditya Lakhia, who played the Dalit character Kachra in the film "Lagaan", as items made of recycled waste.
The NCSC also asked the Delhi Police commissioner and the resident grievance officer of YouTube to investigate the matter.
The ad, which draws a link between the character Kachra with 'kachra', the Hindi word for garbage, was aired on World Environment Day on June 5.
In the nearly two-minute ad, Lakhia is depicted as a lamp, paper, paperweight, watering can, and different types of jackets -- the accompanying text detailing how much recycled 'kachra' was used to make each item.
In its notice, the commission sought an explanation from Zomato over the ad and its details.
It asked the Delhi Police commissioner as well as the resident grievance officer of YouTube to investigate the matter and submit an action taken report immediately through post or email.
NCSC Chairman Vijay Sampla cautioned the officers that if the action taken report is not received within the stipulated time, then the commission might exercise the powers of the civil court conferred on it under Article 338 of the Constitution of India and issue a summon for personal appearance before it in Delhi.
Zomato deleted the ad after it came under attack for being casteist. The company issued an apology from its official Twitter handle and said the intent was to "spread awareness about the potential of plastic waste and benefits of recycling in a humorous way".
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Thane man cheated of Rs 2 lakh in currency exchange fraud
Thane (PTI): A 35-year-old man has allegedly been duped of Rs 2 lakh by three persons in a US dollar exchange fraud in Maharashtra's Navi Mumbai township, police said on Monday.
One of the accused had approached the victim, a resident of Dombivli in Thane district, claiming his relative wanted to exchange some USD notes. On May 12, the accused showed the victim bundles wrapped in a handkerchief that appeared to contain US currency near a hospital in Kalamboli, they said.
Believing the notes to be authentic, the victim handed over Rs 2 lakh in cash, after which the accused fled.
The victim later found that the bundles handed over to him were actually paper rolls and soap bars, with a single dollar note pasted on top to make them appear genuine, according to the police.
Following the victim's complaint, the police registered a case on charges of cheating under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
A probe was underway into the case, the police added.
