A waiter at an upscale restaurant in Kolkata’s Park Street was arrested on Saturday after Bengali actor and influencer Sayak Chakraborty alleged he was served cow meat instead of the mutton steak he had ordered. A video of the incident that took place on Friday night went viral after Chakraborty posted it on social media.
A senior police officer said the waiter, Shiekh Nasiruddin, was arrested under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) after a First Information Report was lodged at Park Street police station. The provision deals with deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs and punishes such acts with imprisonment up to three years, a fine, or both.
The restaurant is yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
In the video, Chakraborty is purportedly seen confronting the waiter. He says that though he and his companions ordered mutton steak, they were served beef. “We didn’t know what it was. We thought it was mutton steak. We ate it,” Chakraborty can be heard saying in the video.
When the waiter apologises, a furious Chakraborty is heard asking, “Do you know that I am a Brahmin?” The video also shows the manager agreeing that it was a grave mistake committed by the waiter.
The incident has sparked a row, with BJP leader Rahul Sinha alleging that the wrong meat was served on purpose. “This is no mistake…it was done purposefully. This is preplanned. In this way, they purposely serve people cow meat, trying to insult one’s religion,” he told The Indian Express.
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Arup Chakraborty said it was an attempt to “destroy communal harmony”. “First of all, one who has a problem with beef…why will that person go to a restaurant that serves beef, mutton, and chicken…all in the same plate and cooked in the same utensils? These people are trying to destroy communal harmony. As a complaint has been lodged, the police have taken steps. But the police should also take steps against those who disturb communal harmony,” he told The Indian Express.