Bengal Video of chicken patty vendor assaulted at Gita event goes viral FIR lodged

Kolkata, Dec 9 (PTI) A controversy erupted in West Bengal on Tuesday after a video purportedly showing a food vendor selling chicken patty being thrashed by some saffron turbaned youths at a recent mega Gita recital in Kolkata went viral on social media.
    The vendor has filed a complaint at Maidan police station here against unidentified men for assaulting and threatening him, following which a probe has been launched into the alleged incident, a police officer said.
    The alleged incident took place during 'Paanch Lakh Konthe Gita Paath' (Gita recital by five lakh voices), organised by Hindu outfit 'Sanatan Sanskriti Sansad' in Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground on December 7.
    In the footage, several individuals -- some sporting saffron turbans and some wearing tilaks on their foreheads -- were seen surrounding the vendor, slapping him and forcing him to do sit-ups while holding ears for "daring to sell non-vegetarian items at the spot".
    In the video, the authenticity of which could not be independently ascertained by PTI, the vendor's food items are shown thrown out of a tin container onto the ground, with some in the crowd stomping on the food.
    Slamming the assaulters, Trinamool Congress state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said, "If someone prefers not to eat non-vegetarian food, they can do so. But why assault a poor hawker who is simply earning a livelihood? Such actions are unacceptable and deserve strong condemnation."
    The vendor shown in the video told reporters that he has been selling chicken and veg patty in the Maidan area at every gathering for two decades but never faced such hostility.
    "Never have I been treated like this. They threw away all my goods, hit me, and made me do sit-ups. If they had just asked me not to venture into the Gita recital ground, I would have left. I had no inkling my presence would trigger so much hostility," he said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)