This Article is From Jul 23, 2014

'They Caught Me and Put Chapatti in My Mouth', Says Man who was Fasting for Ramzan

'They Caught Me and Put Chapatti in My Mouth', Says Man who was Fasting for Ramzan
New Delhi: "They caught me and put chapatti in my mouth," says catering supervisor Arshad Zubair, in a written complaint on the issue that has rocked Parliament and sparked much outrage all over the country.

Arshad is the young man seen on camera trying to reason with a Shiv Sena lawmaker as the latter shoves a chapatti into his mouth at a Maharashtra government guest house in Delhi.

The supervisor, who was fasting for Ramzan, says in his complaint that he was wearing a uniform of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and a tag that identified him. "Even then they inserted chapatti in my mouth which caused my fast to break on the eve of Ramazan. I was hurt with the thing they have done as religious sentiments are concerned (sic)," he said.

Rajan Vichare, the Shiv Sena MP seen assaulting Arshad, has told NDTV that he had no idea that the supervisor was a fasting Muslim. He said he was only protesting against the poor quality of food and had asked Arshad if he could eat the "hard as leather" chapatti.

Arshad says "12-15 guests" at the New Maharashtra Sadan or NMS complained about the services at the guest house and held a press conference to detail them last Thursday. These, he says, included complaints about the quality of food. "The main part of the complaint was that the authentic Maharashtra cuisine is not being served. The guests demanded a Maharashtrian caterer in the NMS," he wrote in the complaint.

He describes how after the presser, "all guests along with media reporters and staffs of Maharashtra Sadan got into kitchen where I was getting the orders prepared." He was then surrounded and assaulted.

Political parties today raised the controversy in Parliament and demanded an apology from the Sena, which is a member of the BJP-led coalition government at the Centre.

Some have demanded Mr Vichare's arrest; others say at the very least, the Sena must be held accountable for its latest outing of mob justice.
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