Kota police on Sunday arrested a Blinkit supply agent for allegedly delivering cigarettes to underaged college students within the teaching hub. The accused, recognized as Satyaprakash Koli, was apprehended whereas he was supplying cigarettes to teaching college students on Saturday night. He was arrested from Kota’s Landmark City space.
Crackdown towards sale and provide of cigarettes
As per the police, Koli was arrested throughout a crackdown towards sale and provide of cigarettes by fast commerce platforms to underaged teaching college students. The accused, who works for Blinkit, has been booked underneath part 77 of Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act and underneath part 9/11 of Rajasthan Prohibition of Smoking and Non-smoker’s Health Protection Act.
Investigation underway
SP Kota metropolis Amrita Duhan mentioned the town police had already written to representatives of Blinkit firm at its workplace in Landmark City asking to not promote and provide cigarettes to minor college students, however regardless of the instruction, the corporate was discovered to be promoting them to the teaching college students.
The investigation is underway to seek out out different personnel of the corporate concerned in sale and provide of prohibited materials to the minor.
Chargesheet towards Blinkit
Kunhadi Circle Inspector Arvind Bhardwaj mentioned the police may also file a chargesheet towards the corporate. Supplying smoking materials and tobacco to minors is a critical offence and police, throughout investigation, may also consider the corporate’s distribution community of prohibited gadgets in different cities, he mentioned. Stock and provide registers, recovered from the corporate’s retailer, had been seized for examination, he added.
Tobacco product sale laws in India
As per the norms of Union Health Ministry, the sale of tobacco merchandise to and by minors (lower than 18 years of age) is prohibited and is a punishable offence. Furthermore, sale of tobacco merchandise inside 100 yards of instructional establishments is prohibited and is a punishable offence.
Rajasthan’s Kota is hotspot for entrance examination preparation. Every 12 months, hundreds of sophistication eleventh, twelfth college students come to Kota to arrange for National degree entrance exams like Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination- IIT JEE and National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG).
However, the town is already underneath the lens as a result of suicide instances. Despite a number of efforts by the state authorities and district administration, Kota suicide instances usually are not fully curbed. ]
(With inputs from PTI)
