Kolkata Police have arrested three men for allegedly assaulting a street vendor who was selling chicken patties near a large Bhagavad Gita recital at the Brigade Parade Ground on Sunday. The accused have been identified as Soumik Golder (23), the prime suspect, along with Swarnendu Chakraborty (32) and Tarun Bhattacharya (51). The arrests were made early on Monday, police confirmed.
The trio has been charged under Sections 189(2), 126(2), 115(2), 299 and 324(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including offences related to voluntarily causing hurt, mischief, unlawful assembly, and deliberate acts intended to outrage religious sentiments. All three men are expected to be produced before court later today.
The police crackdown follows the circulation of a disturbing video on social media. The footage shows the vendor, Sheikh Riajul, being surrounded by a group of men who confront him aggressively about selling chicken patties close to the devotional gathering. The men force him to perform sit-ups with his hands on his ears, demand his name, and begin slapping him once he responds. Despite Riajul’s repeated apologies and his offer to leave the area, the assault continues. The attackers eventually hurl his entire stock of patties onto the ground.
The video has sparked widespread condemnation online, with many social media users criticising the attackers for targeting a working-class vendor who was simply trying to earn a living. Others defended the assault, alleging that the sale of chicken near a religious event insulted devotees’ sentiments.
Speaking to NTT, Riajul described the ordeal in detail. “I went to Maidan at my usual spot for business. At one point the boys approached me and asked what kind of food I was selling. I told them I had both veg and chicken patty in my trunk, but they refused to believe me. They vandalised my trunk containing food worth ₹3,000,” he said.
“They kept insisting all the patties were chicken, but that was not true. I offered to leave if they had an issue with me selling around the ground, but they did not let me go. Instead, they beat me and made me do sit-ups holding my ears as punishment.” Golder and his associates were also seen slapping Riajul repeatedly while he attempted to apologise.
The incident has triggered a sharp political confrontation. Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh condemned the assault, arguing that the vendor had no intention of disrespecting the event. “At the Gita recital, many people were wearing leather shoes and taking selfies. Do these acts maintain the sanctity of the event? If someone doesn’t want to buy food, that is their choice. But what gives them the right to attack the vendor? They must answer for this,” he said.
Responding to the criticism, BJP Bengal chief and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar urged caution. “It has not been established that BJP members or the event organisers were involved. This incident may have occurred because certain religious sentiments were hurt,” he said. “I want to ask the Trinamool and the Left: would they allow someone to sell alcohol in front of a mosque during Friday prayers? I challenge them to try it.”
