Refusing to pay bill, Hindutva men attack Muslim hotel owner, minor son over false beef claim in Bihar
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The unfettered atrocities and malicious actions of Hindutva men, particularly in BJP-ruled states, are no longer considered newsworthy, as their attacks targeting Muslims and other minority communities often leave them untouched by the law, further fuelling their urge to carry out more assaults.
A video that surfaced online, reportedly from Bihar's Purnea district, shows Hindutva workers, led by local strongman Abhijeet Kumar Yadav, brutally attacking a Muslim hotel owner, his son and his associates on the allegation that they had served cow meat.
However, police later found that the dispute had actually arisen over payment for food, which the Hindutva leader and his associates allegedly refused to make before launching the attack. The police also rejected the claim made in the viral video that the assault was prompted by the serving of cow meat, stating that no such meat or other objectionable material was found on the premises.
The incident occurred on June 14 at Lelaha Khushbu Hotel in the Gokulpur area of Purnea. Viral footage showed Mohammed Tajamul, the hotel owner, and his son being beaten with chairs and sticks by several men who repeatedly questioned them about the alleged presence of beef inside the premises. The victims were also publicly humiliated and forced to perform sit-ups while holding their ears.
As the video circulated widely on social media, claims accompanied it alleging that local residents had caught individuals preparing beef and had assaulted them in anger. However, an investigation conducted by Gokulpur Police Station found no cow meat or any other objectionable material during a thorough search of the hotel.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Purnea Police categorically dismissed the allegations linked to the viral video, describing the claims regarding cow meat as “completely false and baseless”. The police further stated that legal action had been initiated against those responsible for spreading the misleading narrative online, including the administrator of a Facebook page that shared the video with the disputed claim.
Tajamul has maintained that the accusations were fabricated. According to his complaint, a group of men visited the hotel for a meal and turned violent when asked to settle the bill. He alleged that the attackers then attempted to justify the assault by falsely accusing him of selling beef.
Police have registered separate cases concerning both the circulation of misleading communal claims and the physical assault. Investigations are continuing, while local community leaders have called for swift action to preserve communal harmony in the Seemanchal region.