Muslim vendors selling kova buns at the Samakka Saralamma Jatara, a major tribal festival in Telangana’s Mulugu district, have been subjected to harassment by a YouTube channel that accused them of promoting so-called “food jihad”.

The channel Tejaswi News, which was created in July 2025 and has around 7.82 thousand subscribers, has published a series of videos over the past 10 days alleging that Muslim vendors were selling “adulterated” kova buns at the Jatara. In a 53-minute explainer video released on February 13, Friday, the anchor leading the coverage, Balu Balaji Goud, claimed that the festival-goers had complained to him of feeling unwell after consuming the buns sold near the venue.

Kova buns, made using sugar, milk, and kova, are a well-known and widely consumed snack across south India.

Two videos published by the channel show Balu Balaji questioning Muslim vendors at the Jatara in a hostile manner. In one video, the anchor confronts a vendor named Javed, who had travelled from Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh, aggressively demanding to know why the bun packets on his cart did not carry a manufacturing date. When Javed explained that the buns were locally purchased and meant to be sold within six days, the visibly frustrated anchor ignored the response and addressed the camera instead.

“There are many Rohingya Muslims staying in the Greater Hyderabad area and we are blind to what they are involved in. Can anyone sell a kova bun for a mere Rs 10? It is disgusting to see that in Hindu festivals and processions such adulterated items are being sold,” the anchor said, adding that a........

© newslaundry