A tweet by YouTuber Nalini Unagar questioning the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has resulted in a Delhi Police FIR against her. Unagar had flagged the widespread sale of fake paneer and milk while targeting the authority’s role as the watchdog.
“Fake milk, paneer, vegetables, and oil are sold openly in the market,” the now-deleted tweet read. “The entire FSSAI department should be thrown out because it feels like they don’t even exist in India. This is not a personal attack but the anger of 140 crore Indians who are being fed fake food every day.”
The case, filed on the complaint of a representative of FSSAI, has been registered under Sections 316(4) and 3(5) of the BNS and Section 72A of the IT Act, accusing the influencer and others of criminal breach of trust and misuse of personal data under the IT Act.
According to Rohit Rajbir Singh, DCP Central, the complaint alleges the ‘involvement of certain influencers and unknown persons’ in the unauthorised circulation of FSSAI documents on social media. It has also been alleged that some documents may have been tampered with.
“The authenticity of the documents and role of all involved is being examined,” the DCP said in a statement. Unagar denied having any knowledge of the alleged circulation of FSSAI documents. On Thursday, Unagar wrote another post on X defending her position and questioning the FIR against her.
“Delhi Police have filed an FIR against me. I had written about an FSSAI issue. I have already taken down those posts and am also removing many others. I already have too many things going on in my life. In the future, you may see me silent. I cannot handle this level of stress anymore,” she wrote.
Link to the post:
Delhi Police have filed an FIR against me.
I had written about an FSSAI issue. I have already taken down those posts and am also removing many others.
I already have too many things going on in my life.
In the future, you may see me silent. I cannot handle this level of stress…
— Nalini Unagar (@NalinisKitchen) April 2, 2026
Reactions on X were mixed, with some users calling it a ‘chilling effect’ on criticism while others reacted sarcastically. Several users referenced Unagar’s previous post appreciating dictatorship, sarcastically commenting on her earlier stance while reacting to the FIR.
Didi,
You yourself advocated for this dicatorship !! pic.twitter.com/MP0kwlMol4
— Gss🇮🇳 (@Gss_Views) April 2, 2026
We can feel your pain, but believe me this is what dictatorship actually looks like. pic.twitter.com/9zjo2e3pdV
— Mr Sharma (@sharma_views) April 2, 2026
Don’t think that’s an FIR. That’s request for information on the account. They did the same on me few weeks ago as I did a story and post on X in a particular case against terrorism. A senior officer of Delhi Police told me it was a regular procedure followed by junior staff, and…
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) April 3, 2026
When “dictatorship” was only visible in photos, it felt impressive to everyone.
Now that an FIR has been filed, the same system suddenly feels heavy and oppressive.
The question is simple.
If the government is truly democratic, it should not respond with FIRs.
Criticism should… pic.twitter.com/mA3Q0Qzp4v— Rajeev Mittal🇮🇳 (@Ishu2015) April 2, 2026
What’s wrong with FSSAI?
Instead of appreciating and rewarding such people,
Who exposes dangerous adulteration food options and shops,
FSSAI is punishing them by filing FIR.
These people threaten their lives to expose such mafia but Instead get punished.
F@ck FSSAI pic.twitter.com/OSTnFMx7yZ
— Dear Men (@Dear_Men_Life) April 2, 2026
“I’ve always raised issues about fake and adulterated products being sold in the market, and yet they continue to be openly available. I regularly tag the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and raise concerns about food safety, but no action is taken. This time, I even tagged the CEO and questioned his silence—we need action across India. These problems have existed for years with no visible results. I may have been a bit harsh, but for this, I received an FIR,” Unagar said.
Link to the post
I have the courage to appreciate good things. You should also have the courage to accept disapproval. https://t.co/x8ofisSPSR
— Nalini Unagar (@NalinisKitchen) April 3, 2026
Her past posts expressed distrust in the regulatory body. In March 2026, she wrote, “FSSAI is useless, and I seriously can’t trust them anymore.” She also shared content on avoiding processed food and raised concerns about food safety, including past controversies such as the 2015 Maggi case. After the FIR, Unagar removed the tweet, citing family responsibilities and legal concerns.
“I also received an email from X stating, ‘We want you to have an opportunity to take action to protect your interests. This may include seeking legal counsel and challenging the request in court, contacting relevant civil society organisations, voluntarily deleting the content if applicable, or finding some other resolution,” she said.
Unagar also suggested adopting a clear labelling system like Singapore’s Nutri-Grade, which uses grades from A to D to indicate nutritional quality. She highlighted that current packaging and endorsements can mislead consumers and pointed to examples where high sugar content is not clearly communicated. Users supported the idea, while noting that existing FSSAI measures such as ‘high-in’ warnings and star ratings are not as simple.
Former FSSAI CEO Pawan Aggarwal said influencers can raise awareness, but sometimes make exaggerated claims. “There was a press conference in Chandigarh. A government officer said he has received reports that 85% of India’s milk is adulterated. So this was a press conference. Journalists picked this up. And when I asked him which report he was talking about, he said he also read this in a newspaper,” he said.
He added that tracking adulteration in loose food products remains difficult compared to packaged goods and that food safety challenges are complex and ongoing. “Similar incidents had happened during my term
