Kova bun seller was harassed by YouTubers over ‘food jihad’ claims. Then, Andhra Deputy CM rallied behind him

A native of Velgode in Andhra Pradesh’s Nandyala district, Shavali arrived in Mulugu on January 25 to sell the buns.

“I did not face any problem initially, and business was good. The buns and kova were fresh, and no one came back and complained. On January 28, towards the evening, two to three people started pestering me about the quality of the food, and demanded to know whether I was using adulterated kova,” he said.

They were YouTubers who filmed themselves demanding that Shavali eat the buns to prove he was not engaging in “food jihad”. The video, which went viral, showed Shavali being forced to eat a bun. One of the YouTubers complained that there was no manufacturing date or expiration date on the buns and claimed that he had called the police control room.

“My mother makes the kova at home, and it is very delicious. We procure the buns from bakeries. It is a favourite of children and adults alike, and we prepare them at home so they are not that costly. They are prepared in proper conditions. We also eat them, and no one has ever fallen sick or complained,” Shavali explained. He said that his wife and two children became upset after they came to know of the treatment that was meted out to him.

Nara Lokesh: I am deeply sorry…

Shavali, also known as Vali, got an outpouring of support after the video, including from Andhra Pradesh Human Resources Development Minister Nara Lokesh, son of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

In a post on X, Lokesh said, “Dear brother Vali, I am deeply sorry that you had to endure this. Such divisive and communal behaviour has no place in our Telugu society, which has always stood for harmony, mutual respect, and brotherhood. I will meet you soon and look forward to tasting your famous Khoya bun! We stand together.”

The Vijayawada-based Minority Rights Protection Forum, headed by M Farooq Shubli, who is also the chairman of the AP Urdu Academy, has provided Rs 50,000 to compensate for the lack of earnings until Shavali feels safe enough to go back to business. Jana Sena Party MLC Nagendra Babu also gave Rs 25,000 to Shavali and his family.

“They are a very innocent family, going about doing their business legitimately. Shavali is so simple that, although he has a food certificate, he does not know how to answer when someone asks him about it. He only knows it as a paper that is essential to run his business. What is heartening is how the entire Hindu society stood in support of Vali,” Shubli said.

Shavali said he will get back to selling kova buns in a few days and hopes everything will be back to normal.

‘I could not react’

Explaining his business, Shavali said he takes freshly made buns daily on his cart around town, through bazaars, and sometimes parks or wherever there is a crowd.

“A lot of customers know me, but they have never complained about the quality of the buns. No one has ever said that they fell sick after eating my buns. What those YouTubers were accusing me of was wrong and false. I think they did it for ‘likes’ and subscribers on their channel. No vendor, irrespective of religion, should face that kind of harassment. I was there just to earn some money,” Shavali said.

He said the incident left him shocked. “I was so taken aback that I could not react. We also have a food safety certificate, but when they were asking about it, I could not react because I could not process all that. The video only shows a portion of the harassment; it had started much earlier and went on for about 1.5 hours. They forced me to leave there the same night,” Shavali said.

His family possesses the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s Form C certificate, which was most recently renewed on December 9, 2025. The certificate is in the name of M/s Quality Sweets & Kova Bun, and the proprietor’s name is M Mahamood, Shavali’s father.