Adulteration in mustard oil; Patanjali's factory shutdown

Alwar (Rajasthan): Yoga guru Baba Ramdev-owned Patanjali's mustard oil factory in Alwar, Rajasthan, was shut down by officials led by the District collector on Thursday night after the mustard oil manufactured there was found to be adulterated.

The action was taken after the district administration received information that Patanjali's Singhania oil mill in Khairthal was adulterating mustard oil. Many oil bottles with Patanjali stickers were seized.

Earlier, several of Patanjali's products were banned from several places, including the military canteen, following the discovery. The Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA) had denied approval for the mustard oil produced by Patanjali. Patanjali responded with an advertisement hinting that other companies also adulterate their oils. The SEA, however, opposed this.

The mill's shutdown would be a setback for the company after the Indian Medical Association (IMA) filed a Rs 1,000 crore defamation suit against Ramdev for his comments on allopathic treatments yesterday.