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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Four charred to death in fire at scrap godown in Rajasthan
Jaipur (PTI): Four people, including two minor girls, died in a fire at a scrap godown in Kotputli-Behror district of Rajasthan, police said on Saturday.
The incident occurred in the Neemrana area on Friday night.
Superintendent of Police Satvir Singh said police recovered four charred bodies late at night and sent them for post-mortem.
The victims were identified as Kavita (15), her seven-year-old relative, a driver named Ravindutt Yadav, and Johnny, who worked on a plastic processing machine in the godown.
Preliminary inquiry suggests that the driver had come from Haryana to purchase plastic material. At the time, the young girl was sorting scrap perfume bottles and removing their caps.
Police said they suspect that a lit bidi thrown by the driver ignited the spirit from the bottles, triggering the blaze.
As the fire spread, the victims ran towards one side of the godown, but were blocked by a wall. They got trapped inside and died of suffocation, and the fire charred their bodies.
SP Singh said that a woman working at the warehouse managed to escape but sustained a leg injury.
Police have detained an associate of the godown owner for questioning while the owner, Karan Singh, is absconding. A case has been registered.
#WATCH कोटपुतली, राजस्थान: नीमराना में कल शाम एक कबाड़ के गोदाम में आग लग गई। इस घटना में 4 लोगों की मौत हो गई, जिसमें दो मजदूर और दो लड़कियां शामिल हैं: SP सतवीर सिंह
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) April 25, 2026
(वीडियो घटनास्थल से है) pic.twitter.com/1p5XeBE6e8
