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TL;DR
- Iftekhar Rafsan, known as Rafsan The ChotoBhai, was fined 16 Lakh Taka for marketing an unauthorized drink called “BLU.”
- The Pure Food Court in Dhaka, led by Judge Alaul Akbar, issued an arrest warrant on June 4, 2024, due to the drink’s lack of certification.
- A raid on April 24, 2024, at the DrinkBlu Beverage factory in Cumilla revealed unsanitary conditions, resulting in an initial fine of 30,000 Taka.
- Rafsan secured an eight-week anticipatory bail on June 26, 2024, as the case highlighted regulatory compliance issues in Bangladesh’s food industry.
Popular Bangladeshi content creator and food vlogger Iftekhar Rafsan, known as “Rafsan The ChotoBhai,” has been fined 16 Lakh Bangladeshi Taka by the Pure Food Court for marketing an unauthorized drink named “BLU.” The court, presided over by Judge Alaul Akbar, issued this order on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. Rafsan was present in court for approximately one and a half hours during the proceedings.
The controversy surrounding the “BLU” drink began when the Food Safety Authority, represented by Inspector Mohammad Kamrul Hasan, filed a complaint stating that the drink lacked necessary approvals. According to the inspector, the “BLU” drink had no certification, and even the Drug Administration was uncertain whether it was a beverage or a medicinal product. This led to an arrest warrant being issued against Rafsan on June 4, 2024.
The issue first came to light following a raid on April 24, 2024, at the DrinkBlu Beverage factory in the BSCIC industrial area of Cumilla. The raid revealed that the factory was producing the drink without a packaging certificate and under unsanitary conditions, resulting in an initial fine of 30,000 Taka. The incident gained further attention when it went viral on social media on May 17, 2024.
The factory, identified as “M/S DrinkBlu Beverage,” was found to be producing the drink without proper registration, violating the “Weights and Measures Standards Act – 2018.” The lack of measurement instruments for bottling the drinks was also noted during the inspection. Consequently, the factory was fined under section 41 of the act for packaging and marketing the product without registration.
In response to the allegations, Rafsan secured an eight-week anticipatory bail from the High Court on June 26, 2024. The bail was granted by a bench comprising Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman and Justice Md Bashir Ullah. Rafsan was represented by senior lawyer Shah Monjurul Hoque, alongside lawyer Ahmad Naqeeb Karim, while Assistant Attorney General Vinay Kumar Ghosh represented the state.
The court has also ordered the withdrawal of the unauthorized “BLU” drink from the market within seven days. This case highlights the importance of regulatory compliance in the production and marketing of consumable goods, underscoring the legal responsibilities of content creators and entrepreneurs in Bangladesh.
Source: Channel24
