Two Muslim street vendors who were selling non-vegetarian patties have been assaulted by Hindutva men near a “Gita Path” event at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata, triggering outrage from the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), the CPI(M), and renewed accusations of rising Hindutva vigilantism.
The incident took place on Sunday, December 7, during an event organised by the Sanatan Sanskriti Sangsad affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayem Sewak Sangh focused on promoting Sanatan Dharma.
The first victim, Sheikh Riyazul, a resident of Arambag who has been selling vegetarian and non-vegetarian patties for over 22 years, said he was attacked immediately after he revealed his name.
“They asked me my name. As soon as I told them, they started thrashing me. They made me do squats and threw away my food,” he recounted in a video surfaced on social media sites.
The video shows several men, some with tilaks on their foreheads, surrounding the vendor, pulling his ears, emptying his box of patties and hitting him.
The second victim was identified as Md Salauddin who lives in Kolkata’s Tiljala area. He alleged that three men assaulted him for selling chicken patties and made Islamophobic remarks.
The Kolkata police have registered two criminal cases in connection with back-to-back assaults on two Muslim hawkers.
First information reports (FIRs) have been registered against 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.
Efforts are on to identify the suspects, police said to reporters.
The footage sparked widespread condemnation, with Opposition parties accusing the BJP and its affiliates of encouraging what they described as a “mob-lynching culture” and attempting to police the food habits of Bengalis.
Sair Shah Halim, CPI(M) leader, a social activist, educator and ex-contestant in 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Kolkata South constituency speaking to Maktoob said, “What happened is very unfortunate, transfiguring and unsettling because, it’s not just about targeted attacks but also an attack on Kolkata’s food culture.”
“Kolkata’s culture is not to differentiate on lines of religion or food. Most of the population enjoys and celebrates multicultural culture and veg-non-veg is not at all an issue here”, Halim said.
The CPI(M) leader said, “It is the ruling party to take cognisance and never let this kind of hatred spread in the state.”
“Opposition parties will come together to condemn this and demand justice for the victim”, she added.
TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh criticised the attackers, saying, “If you don’t eat non-veg, just don’t buy it. Why beat the seller? This is his livelihood.”
He also questioned why attendees wearing leather shoes at the religious event faced no objection.
TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty called the assault an attack on Bengal’s cultural identity, arguing that the “aggressive Hindutva heroes” who targeted the vendor were trying to impose a “One Nation, One Religion” ideology on a state known for its diverse food traditions. The party also released an animated video accusing the BJP of wanting to restrict fish and meat consumption if voted to power.
The CPI(M) has filed a formal complaint at the Maidan police station.
The BJP, however, rejected the charges. Party leader Debjit Sarkar defended the sentiments of those who objected to the sale of non-vegetarian food near a religious ceremony.
“Can Gita Path be done after eating chicken patties?” he asked. “If a man enters a religious gathering with chicken patties, it shows reluctance and disrespect.”
Governor CV Ananda Bose and top state BJP leaders, including Union minister of state Sukanta Majumdar and the Bengal assembly’s leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari attended the event in which monks from across India took part.
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