A vegetable vendor from Varanasi is now employing bouncers to protect his stall as tomato prices continue to rise

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

tomato prices, a vegetable vendor in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, has taken an unconventional approach to safeguard his stall. Ajay Fauji, who is not only a vegetable vendor but also an active member of the Samajwadi Party, has enlisted the services of bouncers to prevent potential violence and tomato thefts at his shop. Concerned about the exorbitant tomato prices, Fauji revealed that people had resorted to acts of aggression and even outright theft of tomatoes.

Determined to avoid any confrontations at his stall, he decided to employ bouncers as a deterrent. Explaining his decision, Fauji stated, «Due to the excessively high tomato prices, we have taken on bouncers to maintain order. Since we have a stock of tomatoes at the shop, we want to avoid any disputes or altercations.» Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav further shared a video showcasing Fauji's initiative.

The footage exhibits two bouncers vigilantly protecting Fauji's stall. Prominently displayed signs featuring the messages, «Pehle paisa baad main tamatar» (Payment first, tomato later) and «Kripya tamatar or mirch ko na chuye» (Please don't touch the tomatoes and chillies), are also visible in the video. In another event that gained attention, Fauji celebrated Akhilesh Yadav's birthday in Varanasi by cutting a tomato-shaped cake.

The gesture served as a symbolic representation of the alarming tomato price surge witnessed in the region. Farmers attribute the skyrocketing tomato prices to a combination of production and supply shortages resulting from heatwaves and the delayed onset of the monsoon. As a consequence, the fruit's prices have surged in multiple parts of India, reaching an astonishing high of Rs 200 per kilogram.