Three men accused of assaulting Muslim vendors for selling non-vegetarian food during a mass Gita recital at Brigade Parade Grounds were arrested early Thursday and released on bail within hours after a city court rejected the police&rsquo;s request for their week-long custody.
The accused have been identified as Soumik Golder, Tarun Bhattacharya and Swarnendu Chakraborty. Individuals familiar with their backgrounds indicated that all three have affiliations with saffron organisations. Chakraborty&rsquo;s social media profile describes him as a state executive member of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, while Golder is known to be associated with a religious organisation. Bhattacharya works as a real estate developer.
Golder, 23, was the first to be identified from videos circulating online and was arrested from his home in Gobardanga, North 24-Parganas. His arrest led officers to Bhattacharya, 51, of Uttarpara in Hooghly, and Chakraborty, 32, of Ashok Nagar in North 24-Parganas. Golder, who has a physical disability and requires support to walk, is said to be an active member of a socio-religious organisation.
Family members of Bhattacharya claimed he became angry after realising that a patty he had purchased, initially claimed to be vegetarian, contained chicken. Another family member of one of the accused said the situation at the venue had been exaggerated, despite allegations from multiple vendors that assaults took place over items such as chicken patties and onion-laced snacks.
The arrests were made based on complaints filed by two Muslim vendors who alleged they were beaten at the event. Police said all three accused were clearly seen in video recordings of the assaults. They have been booked for offences, including unlawful assembly, wrongful restraint, causing hurt, criminal intimidation, mischief, and acts related to outraging religious feelings.
A senior police officer stated that electronic evidence supported the arrests and that all three men admitted to being present at the location.
In court, defence lawyers argued that only one of the charges was non-bailable and claimed the real issue was whether the vendors who allegedly mislabelled non-vegetarian food had themselves hurt religious sentiments. A separate case has also been registered against a patty seller, Sheikh Riyazul, accusing him of offending religious beliefs.
The judge noted that there was no prima facie evidence in the complaint or the submitted electronic material to support the more serious charge, and granted bail to the three accused.
Riyazul, speaking from his hometown in Hooghly, said he welcomed the arrests and hoped no other vendor would face such intimidation. He said he planned to return to Kolkata soon to resume his business despite the lingering trauma of the incident.
Another vendor who claimed he was assaulted, Muntaz Mallick, also returned to Hooghly temporarily but said he, too, would soon return to the Maidan to continue selling food.

Accused men released after Brigade vendor assault

Three men held for assaulting Muslim vendors during Gita recital granted quick bail

Brigade Assault: Three Arrested, Granted Bail

Three men held for assaulting Muslim vendors during Gita recital granted quick bail

December 12, 2025 | 17:00 IST