Kolkata, Dec 11 (IANS) Three people were arrested on charges of harassing and assaulting two vendors selling chicken patties at Brigade Parade Ground during a recent Gita recital event in Kolkata.

The police said on Thursday that the arrested individuals have been identified as Soumik Golder (23), Tarun Bhattacharya (51) and Swarnendu Chakraborty (32).

While Golder and Chakraborty are from Gobardanga and Ashoknagar areas in North 24 Parganas district, respectively, Bhattacharya is from Uttarpara in Hooghly district. They were arrested based on complaints lodged by two vendors at Maidan Police Station.

The arrested people had come to Kolkata on December 7 to attend the ‘Panch Lakkho Konthe Gita Path’ (Gita chanting by five lakh voices) programme at Brigade Parade Ground, which was organised by the Sanatan Sanskriti Sansad, a collective of monks and spiritual leaders drawn from various monasteries and Hindu religious institutions.

At the event, two vendors, Sheikh Riyazul from Arambagh in Hooghly district and Mohammad Salauddin from Topsia area in Kolkata, were present to sell food to the large crowd. According to the allegations, some young men present at the event started questioning them, asking how they could sell chicken patties at a religious event. This question allegedly led to insults and harassment.

Later, the vendors were allegedly made to do sit-ups by holding their ears and were slapped and punched by the accused. A purported video of the vendors being harassed at the event went viral on social media. One of the vendors alleged that food worth approximately Rs 3,000 was destroyed.

Following the incident, the two victims filed separate complaints at the Maidan Police Station. Based on the complaints, the police launched an investigation, and after verifying CCTV footage and videos, the accused were identified. The three men were then arrested.

A senior officer of Kolkata Police said, “We received the complaint and conducted an investigation. Based on that, arrests have been made. The rest is being looked into. Investigation is on.”

The Police said that the investigation into the incident will be expanded further, and if necessary, several people involved in the incident may be arrested later.

Last Sunday, lakhs of devotees took part in the Gita recital programme. Prominent figures such as Swami Pradiptananda Maharaj and BJP leaders such as Union minister Sukanta Majumdar, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, BJP Rajya Sabha MP and party’s West Bengal president Samik Bhattacharya, former state BJP president Dilip Ghosh, BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul, actor turned BJP leader Rudranil Ghosh, and others were in attendance.

–IANS

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