Bakeries’ body in Karnataka calls for statewide bandh alleging harassment

Bengaluru: Karnataka State Bakery, Condiments and Small Entrepreneurs' Federation has announced plans to call a statewide bandh, alleging widespread harassment of small traders by the police and by impostors posing as govt officials.The federation alleged that individuals posing as officials from Greater Bengaluru Authority, assessment offices, crime branch, the goods and services tax (GST) department and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) have been visiting commercial establishments across the state, threatening shop owners and demanding money.
Instead of acting against these fake officials, the police were allegedly seizing cigarettes from bakeries, condiment shops, beeda shops and other small businesses, the federation said. Traders claimed they were being asked to visit police stations, pay fines ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 and collect the seized goods.Condemning what he called harassment of bakery owners and small traders, the federation president DB Pratap Shetty said the situation had made it increasingly difficult for small businesses to operate, with incidents of intimidation by petty rowdies also on the rise.The federation demanded that the police return the seized cigarettes and called for a clear policy on tobacco sales. If enforcement was necessary, it should be directed at cigarette manufacturers, it stated.Noting that some states have imposed a complete ban on tobacco and cigarette sales, the federation urged the state govt to consider shutting down cigarette manufacturing companies. "If cigarettes are not manufactured, no shop will sell them, and traders will not be harassed," the federation stated.Shetty said selective enforcement was hurting small businesses. "Cigarettes and pan masala are not completely banned. If authorities have an issue, they should impose an outright ban rather than first allowing sales and then confiscating stocks, which causes losses for traders. Many vendors have no objection to a total ban, but this selective enforcement is unfair," he said.The federation, which represents bakeries, condiment shops, cigarette vendors and pushcart traders, estimated there were 70,000–80,000 bakeries in Bengaluru alone and over 1,000 more across the state.