The leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, on Thursday “felicitated” three “brave Hindu warriors” who had assaulted two Muslim vendors for selling chicken puff at the Gita recitation event in Brigade hereon Sunday.
The “felicitation” came several hours after chief minister Mamata Banerjee had condemned the attack on the vendors and asserted that Bengal’s ethos, unlike that of Uttar Pradesh, would put up with neither communal division nor interference with freedom of personal choices.
All the three men arrested on Thursday for the attack on the Muslim vendors were released on bail soon.
“I felicitated the three Hindu brave warriors Soumik bhai, Swarnendu bhai and Tarun bhai in Kolkata today in the presence of venerable saints. The honourable court granted them bail today,” Adhikari wrote on Facebook.
“I want to tell Mamata Banerjee that you cannot suppress the Sanatanis by unleashing your cronies, the police. The Sanatanis will continue to fight for the protection of religion, and I am with countless Hindutva activists by the side of every Hindu participating in this fight,” the BJP leader added in the Bengali post, replete with photos of him felicitating the trio. “Jai Bhavani.”
Addressing a public meeting in Krishnanagar, Mamata fiercely defended the hawkers, one of whom was 50-year-old Sheikh Riyazul.
The attackers threw away the foodstuff after asking the hawkers their names and accusing them of being “Bangladeshi infiltrators”.
“A poor hawker went to sell his goods. At every meeting, somebody or the other shows up to do so. Somebody sells tea, somebody sells shingara, another sells jhalmuri, or bhelpuri, or biscuits... he, too, went like that, to sell his stuff. ‘Should I be selling this or selling that’... this wasn’t playing in his head,”said Mamata.
“Dhorey mereychho (Got hold of him and thrashed him)! Had each and everyone arrested. Each and every one of them, whoever dared to beat him. This is Bengal, this is not UP (Uttar Pradesh)!” added the visibly furious Trinamool Congress chief, to thunderous applause from an audience of thousands. “Remember, here your gaddari (treachery) is unwelcome. Your huqum (order) doesn’t work here, nor does your aadesh (command).”
Reiterating her pledge to protect the freedom of personal choices, Mamata said: “Remember this, the BJP will not allow consumption of non-veg (in Bengal).”
“It is your choice, whatever it is you want to eat... non-veg or otherwise,” she added in an emotive warning to a state where — according to recent data from the likes of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) — 99.3 per cent of the population (comprising around 71 per cent Hindus) eats meat, fish, or poultry.
The Panch Lokkho Konthe Gitapath (Gita recitation in five lakh voices) was officially organised by the Sanatan Sanskriti Sansad, a cluster of monks and Hindutva outfits.
“I do not believe in divisions, communal or otherwise... I respect each and every religion,” Mamata said. “What need was there to conduct a public meeting for reciting the Gita? We all read, recite the Gita. Those who pray to the almighty do so in their hearts.... The BJP is trying to destroy Bengal aftercapturing it.”
Adhikari alleged that Riyazul was hiding his identity when he was sellingthe foodstuff.
Responding to Mamata, Riyazul said he and his family were grateful for thepolice action.
“I heard what the chief minister said.... I earn ₹200–300 a day by selling (puffs)... I want to thank our chief minister, who helped me with legal support and assisted me throughout,” he said.
In response to Adhikari, Riyazul said he never hid his identity to get to the event or sell the puffs. “Why would I hide my identity? Those accusing me of doing so should watch the viral video (which showed the assault on the vendors) again,” he said.