Harsh Goenka's tweet lauding UP Jail food draws netizens furore. Here's what happened

Indian business tycoon RPG Group chairman Harsh Vardhan Goenka is an avid Twitter user known for his unapologetic nature. Last evening, Goenka posted three pictures of delicious food plates and claimed that it was being served to the inmates in the Fatehgarh Jail in Uttar Pradesh.

In his tweet, the RPG Enterprises Chairman told the jail authorities that people recognized prisoners as humans.

The tweet sparked controversy on Twitter, as Goenka’s tweet got mixed responses from the netizens. Some of his followers hailed the tweet and termed it a grand gesture by the jail authorities. However, many users lashed out at Goenka for spreading fake news. Some users also called out Harsh Goenka for being irresponsible in spreading fake news from such a powerful position that he commands in society.



A Twitter user claimed in a comment that the pictures posted were from a Deccan Chronicle article about a cafeteria that serves ‘jail-made delicacies.’ Another user pointed out that the food in one of the pictures was being done on a banana leaf, which was the norm in UP or anywhere in north India. Someone also suggested that someone had fooled Goenka because the pictures he posted had silver-coated plates, porcelain crockery, and even a banana leaf.




On the other hand, many Twitter users bashed the politicians and VIP inmates who allegedly received 5-star treatment from the jail authorities. In reality, one of the pictures Goenka posted, one with the banana leaf, is indeed from a Deccan Chronicle article. Per the article, a café adjacent to the Poojappura Central Prison in Trivandrum serves chapati, chicken curry, and other delicacies prepared by the prison inmates at affordable rates.

Sources of the other two images remain unknown as of now.

The UP government recently received heavy criticism after a video of a police constable, identified as Manoj Kumar from Firozabad, was seen crying over the poor quality of food served to the police officers. Citing the video, some users lashed out at the government for providing ‘luxurious’ food to the criminals while the policemen were served unhealthy food.