Published Feb 16, 2026 | 11:46 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 16, 2026 | 11:46 AM
Tejaswi News anchors questioned Shaik Shaiksha Vali.
Synopsis: Anchors of a YouTube channel harassed and humiliated a poor Muslim street vendor from Andhra Pradesh during the recent Medaram Sammakka Saralamma Jatara in Telangana’s Mulugu district. He was accused by a YouTube news channel of “food jihad”. Critics slammed the channel for sensationalism, accusing it of targeting Muslim vendors for clicks and likes while ignoring similar issues with non-Muslim sellers.
In a shocking display of aggressive journalism laced with communal undertones, a poor Muslim street vendor from Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh was publicly humiliated during the recent Asia’s largest tribal festival, the Medaram Sammakka Saralamma Jatara in Telangana’s Mulugu district.
Shaik Shaiksha Vali, who had travelled from his village Medaram to sell his traditional Kova buns, a popular sweet made from kova, milk, sugar, and baked into buns, was accused by a YouTube news channel of “food jihad” – an inflammatory claim suggesting he was deliberately selling harmful or adulterated food to Hindu festival-goers.
The incident, which unfolded in the first week of February 2026, was captured on video and went viral, sparking widespread outrage over the harassment of a small trader trying to earn a living.
A team from the Telugu YouTube channel Tejaswi News, led by anchor Balu Balaji Goud, approached Vali’s modest stall. They grilled him on why there were no manufacturing or expiry dates on the packaging.
They also demanded to know how he was selling the buns for just ₹10 each, while similar items at other stalls reportedly cost up to ₹100. They wanted him to show his Aadhaar card to “prove” his identity, raising doubts about his background.
When Vali explained that he works for a supplier that provides the buns and ingredients, and that he only sells them at the fair, the questioning turned hostile. One reporter from the channel remarked on camera, “There has to be something wrong here if he can sell it for ₹10.”
The ordeal continued when the journalists pressured Vali to eat his own Kova buns in front of a crowd and cameras to “prove” they contained nothing harmful to humans, especially children and devotees at the sacred tribal festival. Vali, visibly distressed but composed, complied to end the confrontation.
The videos, titled with phrases like “Food Jihad at Medaram Jatara” and “Slow Poison,” framed the vendor’s affordable sweets as a potential threat.
Critics on social media slammed Tejaswi News, launched in 2025, for sensationalism, accusing it of targeting Muslim vendors for clicks and likes while ignoring similar issues with non-Muslim sellers.
Many pointed out that Kova buns are a staple street food across South India, often homemade or from small suppliers without formal labelling — common at fairs like Medaram, where lakhs gather.
The harassment triggered an outpouring of humanity and solidarity. Andhra Pradesh IT and Education Minister Nara Lokesh was among the first to condemn it.
In a heartfelt X post addressed to “Brother Vali,” he wrote: “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.”
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi demanded police action against the YouTubers, calling it an “affront to the rule of law.”
Locals in Mulugu and Kurnool rallied around Vali. Videos emerged of people lining up to buy and eat his buns in defiance. Several organisations and netizens offered help, with some promising to visit his stall if he returns next year.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
