Ashneer Grover's remarks on Indore go viral, defamation case filed
A defamation case was filed against BharatPe co-founder Ashneer Grover on Monday after he remarked that Indore's position as India's cleanest city,
A defamation case was filed against BharatPe co-founder Ashneer Grover on Monday after he remarked that Indore's position as India's cleanest city, under a central government survey, was "bought". The comments - now viral - caused a major backlash and the case was filed under Sections 499 and 500 (defamation and its punishment) of the Indian Penal Code.
"The problem with me is that for three-four years, I have heard that Indore is the cleanest city. You have bought the survey. It's a simple thing," Grover is heard saying in the video at an event. The crowd, which was hooting at the mention of the city's achievement just seconds earlier, loudly booed Ashneer Grover.
Grover swiftly clarified, saying that he just meant that there was a lot of construction work in Indore, and he did not suggest that the city had filth all over. He told the crowd that it was not just chip packets which are taken into consideration for the cleanest city ranking "but the debris too".
Indore's Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava told news agency PTI that Ashneer Grover's statement was an "insult to the hard work of the city's people and sanitation workers for cleanliness".
Madhya Pradesh's Indore has topped the list of India's cleanest cities for six consecutive years under the Centre's Swachh Survekshan Awards.