Kolkata, Dec 11 — A city court on Thursday granted bail to three men arrested for allegedly assaulting two vendors during a Gita recital event at the Brigade Parade Ground on December 7. The accused — Soumik Golder, Swarnendu Chakraborty and Tarun Bhattacharya — were released on furnishing a bail bond of ₹1,000 each.
During the hearing, defence lawyers argued that the incident stemmed from the discovery of chicken inside patties sold as vegetarian. They claimed the accused had specifically requested vegetarian patties, but upon breaking them open, found chicken pieces. The defence also highlighted that Soumik Golder is a cancer patient who has lost a leg, urging the court to consider his health condition while granting bail.
The public prosecutor, however, maintained that the men had assaulted two vendors, hurting religious sentiments during a spiritual gathering, making the offence non-bailable. He opposed bail and sought police custody, but the court rejected the plea and granted bail to all three.
Meanwhile, a written complaint has been filed at Maidan police station against one of the assaulted vendors, Sheikh Riyazul, alleging he sold non-vegetarian patties as vegetarian at the event.
The incident occurred during the ‘Panch Lakkho Konthe Gita Path’, a massive Gita chanting programme organised by the Sanatan Sanskriti Sansad. Vendors Sheikh Riyazul from Hooghly’s Arambagh and Mohammad Salauddin from Kolkata’s Topsia were selling snacks when they were confronted by a group of attendees who accused them of mislabeling chicken patties. The confrontation escalated into physical assault, with the vendors reportedly slapped, punched, and forced to do humiliating sit-ups. A video of the incident later circulated widely online.
Following complaints from the vendors, Kolkata Police verified CCTV footage and social media videos to identify the accused. The arrests were made earlier this week.
Union Minister of State for Education and DoNER Sukanta Majumdar also weighed in, demanding the unconditional release of the accused and stating that mislabeling food is a serious issue that must be addressed.
