Cops get Mahatma off Soda outlets

Cops get Mahatma off Soda outlets

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Pune Mirror

Police force shopowners selling soda, fruit beer to remove images of Gandhi, Sardar and Vivekanand from their shop hoardings

THEN

NOW

Can you imagine a Sardar Patel soda, a Swami Vikevakanand fruit beer and Mahatma Gandhi flavoured drinks? Ram Ram!

For the past one month, police teams are scouting every alley in Ahmedabad, looking for soda and fruit beer shops bearing images of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel and SwamiVivekanand.

So far, around 100 such shops have been forced to remove images of these three great personalities from their establishments.

Ironically, many of these shopowners have covered Gandhi, Patel and Vivekanand’s images with those of deities, which the cops don’t object to. How funny, that something considered objectionable to human beings is found fit for Gods!

Shopowners claim that the cops have told them they are acting on the directives from the police commissionerate, though there is no confirmation to that effect. The police top brass, however, confirm that the idea is to prevent commercialisation of great personalities like Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Vivekanand.

Speaking to Mirror, DGP Shabbir Khandvawala said, “Nobody can insult our leaders by putting their images alongside sodas and fruit beer. Cops responsible for forcing shop owners to remove our leaders images are going on the right track.”

Soda and fruit beer shop owners are a perplexed lot. Ashwin Joshi, who has around 50 soda and fruit beer shops in the city, said, “Does this rule apply only to Ahmedabad? I see shops in Mumbai and other big cities keeping images of Gandhi, Nehru,Vivekanand and other such personalities.

Why,even the famous Coffee House has images of Gandhi in its outlet at Chandigarh, Bangalore, Nagpur and other places. I never meant to offend our leaders. This was my way of paying tribute to them.”

Another soda shop owner, Sunil Rathod from Judges Bungalow, said his establishment had to comply with the police order as he had no choice. He said, “A few days ago, a police team came to my shop and asked me to remove Mahatma Gandhi’s image. I did so. Who wants to argue with the police!”

Vasudev Mistry from Ghatlodia,wants to know who has issued this order. He said, “If people,government or the police find the use of Bapu or Swami Vivekanand’s image offending, we will remove it, as I have already done.
Mistry had Swami Vivekanand’s image on his shop hoarding.

The question that begs an answer is, what will the cops do to the likes of the poor poster sellers all over the city,who make two ends meet selling images of great personalities? Are we taking restrictions a bit too far here?