Two Muslim street vendors selling non-vegetarian food were attacked near a Hindu religious gathering in the Indian city of Kolkata, prompting political outrage, police cases and renewed accusations of Hindutva vigilantism.
The incidents took place on Sunday 7 December, near the Brigade Parade Ground, a major public space in central Kolkata, where a mass recitation of the Bhagavad Gita was being held.
Videos and eyewitness accounts indicate that men linked to Hindutva groups were involved. Several of those seen in the footage were wearing tilaks, Hindu religious markings on the forehead.
The event was organised by the Sanatan Sanskriti Sangsad, which media reports say is affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organisation that serves as the ideological parent body of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Footage widely circulated on social media shows groups of men surrounding the vendors, pulling their ears, forcing them to squat and throwing away their food. The vendors can be seen being publicly humiliated as their goods are emptied onto the ground.
One of the victims, Sheikh Riyazul, a resident of Arambag in West Bengal’s Hooghly district, said he was attacked immediately after revealing his name. Riyazul has sold vegetarian and non-vegetarian patties across Kolkata for more than 22 years.
“They asked me my name. As soon as I told them, they started beating me,” he said in a video shared online. “They made me do squats and threw away my food.”
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Riyazul said he suffered both physical abuse and financial loss, adding that he had never experienced such treatment during more than two decades of working in the city.
Second vendor
A second vendor, identified as Mohammed Salauddin from Kolkata’s Tiljala area, alleged that he was assaulted by three men for selling chicken patties near the religious event. He said the attackers made Islamophobic remarks and ordered him to leave the area.
Kolkata Police confirmed that two criminal cases have been registered in connection with the assaults. First Information Reports were filed against unidentified individuals under non-bailable sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, India’s criminal law.
The charges include assault, unlawful assembly, destruction of property and promoting hatred or disharmony between religious groups. Police said investigations are ongoing and that efforts are being made to identify all those involved.
A senior police official said action was initiated following formal complaints and the circulation of video evidence.
However, controversy intensified after three accused men, arrested on December 10 on charges including assault and outraging religious feelings, were granted bail within hours by a city court. The following day, they were publicly felicitated by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who said he stood by them “as a Hindu”.
Condemnation
The incidents drew sharp condemnation from opposition parties in West Bengal, which is governed by the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh criticised the attackers, saying the issue concerned livelihood rather than religion. “If you do not eat non-vegetarian food, then do not buy it. Why beat the seller?” he said. “This is his livelihood.”
TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty described the assault as an attack on Bengal’s cultural identity, accusing Hindutva groups of attempting to impose food and religious norms in a state known for its diverse culinary traditions, including widespread consumption of fish and meat.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), also condemned the assaults and filed a formal complaint at Maidan Police Station. CPI(M) leader Sair Shah Halim said the incident reflected a growing intolerance that threatened Kolkata’s long-standing pluralism.
“This is not just an attack on individuals,” she said. “It is an attack on Kolkata’s food culture.”
Another CPI(M) leader and lawyer, Sayan Banerjee, criticised the police for failing to act immediately on their own, citing Supreme Court guidelines on preventing mob violence.
The BJP rejected allegations of vigilantism. Party leader Debjit Sarkar defended objections raised by attendees at the event, arguing that selling non-vegetarian food near a religious ceremony was inappropriate.
“Can a Gita recitation be done after eating chicken patties?” Sarkar said. “Entering a religious gathering with such food shows disrespect.”
Senior BJP figures, including West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, Union minister Sukanta Majumdar and opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari, attended the event, which was also joined by Hindu monks from across India.
Human rights activists warned that the assaults reflect a broader pattern of harassment faced by Muslim vendors in parts of India.
Ranjit Sur, a human rights activist, said the attack appeared to be linked to the vendors’ religious identity. “If strict action is not taken, such incidents will continue,” he said.
For Riyazul, the incident has left lasting anxiety. He said: “I only want to earn through honest work. In more than two decades, nothing like this has ever happened.”
