Kolkata: A political dispute has intensified in West Bengal after the assault on two Muslim vendors at a large public Gita recitation event in Kolkata. The attack triggered sharp criticism from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari publicly honoured the accused men shortly after their release on bail.
The three men had confronted the vendors, asked their names and accused them of being Bangladeshi infiltrators. They threw away the food items being sold and assaulted the hawkers. Police arrested the accused, who were later granted bail. Hours after their release, Adhikari felicitated them in Kolkata in the presence of religious figures and praised them as Hindu warriors. His public endorsement added fuel to a debate over the use of communal rhetoric around a routine livelihood activity.
Mamata Banerjee addressed the attack during a large public meeting in Krishnanagar. She described the vendors as workers trying to earn a daily income. She said the attackers targeted them after identifying them as Muslims. She stressed that Bengal will not accept such communal behaviour. She warned against importing political models from other states that restrict personal food choices or target minorities. She said the choice of food is an individual matter in a state where almost the entire population consumes meat, fish or poultry.
Sheikh Riyazul, one of the assaulted vendors, said he earns about two to three hundred rupees a day from selling puffs. He thanked the chief minister for police support and legal assistance. He rejected claims that he hid his identity at the event. He urged those making accusations to review the widely circulated video of the attack.
