Hindutva men thrash 2 Muslim vendors for selling non-veg in Kolkata
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Kolkata: Two Muslim food vendors, who serve non-vegetarian patties, were assaulted and beaten up by Sangh Parivar men, suggesting rising Hindutva vigilantism here in West Bengal, Maktoob Media reports.
The men were selling food near a “Gita Path” event when both were confronted by Hindutva people and thrashed.
The first victim was identified as Sheikh Riyazul, a resident of Arambag, who has been selling vegetarian and non-vegetarian patties for more than 22 years. He said that he was attacked after his assailants asked his name. He said that they threw away his food.
A video of the incident shows several men wearing tilaks on their foreheads surrounding Riyazul, pulling his ears, emptying his box of patties and thrashing him.
The second victim, named Md Salauddin of Kolkata’s Tijala area, said that three men assaulted him for selling chicken patties and used Islamophobic slurs against him.
According to Maktoob Media, the Kolkata Police registered criminal cases over the two attacks. The FIR in this regard names unidentified people under non-bailable sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The charges include assault, unlawful assembly, destruction of property and promoting disharmony and hatred among religious groups, according to Maktoob Media.
Police told the media that efforts are on to nab the culprits.
The video footage of the incident incited widespread condemnation. Political parties slammed the BJP and its affiliates for encouraging “a mob-lynching culture”.
Sair Shah Halim, CPI(M) leader, a social activist, educator and ex-contestant in 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Kolkata South constituency, told Maktoob Media that what happened was unfortunate, transfiguring and unsettling, since it is not just about targeted attacks but also an attack on Kolkata’s food culture.