Chandigarh, May 6 (PTI) Punjab's cooperative milk federation Milkfed on Friday lodged a police complaint after a video surfaced on social media showing a man taking a bath in a tub filled with milk with its brand 'Verka' superimposed on it.

Punjab Cooperative Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said since the 'Verka' name has been maliciously used to harm the brand's reputation using an old video from Turkey, the Milkfed has registered a complaint with the cyber cell of the Punjab Police under the IT Act.

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Milkfed sells its milk and milk products under the 'Verka' brand.

"Depiction of the video clearly shows there was a malafide intention to defame and harm the growing goodwill of brand Verka," Cheema said.

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He said the state government has taken serious note of the "malicious act", and necessary criminal action will be taken against those responsible.

The minister further said the video was not related to Verka, and added that deliberate spreading of misinformation can invite legal action.

"The act will harm the interests of consumers as well as farmers and will damage our efforts to eradicate the menace of adulteration of milk by unscrupulous elements," Cheema said in an official statement.

He said that it is a matter of record that Verka milk plants are fulfilling all statutory requirements laid down by the Food Safety Standards Act of India, 2006.

Managing Director, Milkfed, Kamaldeep Singh Sangha said the video has no relation with Verka, and as per media reports, it was shot in a suburb named Konia of the Central Anatolian State of Turkey.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)