Amid a political controversy over a viral video that allegedly showed some people objecting to sale of fish next to a temple and saying this had hurt their sentiments, Delhi Police will investigate the matter as TMC MP Mahua Moitra had claimed on Tuesday that a few people, allegedly owing allegiance to right-wing ideology, had forcibly tried to close fish shops in South Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park area.
Meanwhile, the BJP on Tuesday denied the allegations and accused Moitra of “trying to disrupt” communal harmony in the national capital. Terming the social media video ‘fake’ and ‘manipulated’, the BJP urged the police to arrest those who created the video and probe the TMC MP for what it described as a “sensational and baseless” attempt to stir unrest.
Sources in Delhi Police said they have not received any complaint on the matter, but they are verifying all facts from the social media post. “The market is a licensed market according to MCD records. The video appears to be outdated, but we are verifying the date of the incident. The police have not received any complaint so far,” said a police source.
Calling the video “irresponsible and misleading”, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva demanded a police investigation into both the creators of the video and Moitra for reposting it without verification, a BJP statement said on Wednesday.
“The video, shared by Mahua Moitra and created by unknown individuals, has disturbed the social fabric of Delhi. If she had the seriousness of an MP, she would have reported this to the police rather than creating a sensation online,” Sachdeva said. He alleged that Moitra’s action was either aimed at deflecting attention from TMC’s internal issues or driven by a desire to stay in the news. “This is nothing short of criminal negligence,” he added.
The BJP leader also clarified that the fish markets shown in the video have been legally operating for over six decades. “Most vendors are Hindus; they comply with hygiene norms and participate in local cultural events. Many of them are BJP supporters,” he said. He pointed out that MP Moitra was previously involved in spreading deliberate lies against the BJP, and reposting this video could be a part of that ongoing campaign.
The Delhi BJP President stated that the fish markets mentioned in the video, which are allegedly to be removed, have been allocated by DDA for nearly six decades.
Local BJP MLA from Greater Kailash Shikha Roy said that CR Park is a symbol of cultural harmony, especially during Durga Puja, and that no outsider will be allowed to tarnish its reputation. “The fish market is legal and essential to the community. The BJP stands with the vendors,” she said. In a series of social media posts on ‘X’ on Tuesday, Moitra posted a video with the caption ‘Please watch as saffron brigade BJP goons threaten fish-eating Bengalis of Chittaranjan Park, Delhi. Never in 60 years has this happened, residents say’.
In another post, the TMC MP said, “The temple in CR Park that BJP goons are laying claim to was built by the non-veg market vendors. They pray there -the big pujas are held there. Three months of BJP rule in Delhi. A good anniversary present.” In her third post, she claimed, “WhatsApp message from a Bengali who lives near CR Park saying how terrible the situation is with the forcible closure of meat and fish shops.” The fish stalls in Market no. 1 of Chittaranjan Park draw people from across the National Capital Region. Right next to the stalls is a Kali Temple that residents say is as old as the market. The video shows a group of people telling fish sellers that ‘this is not right’ and that the temple’s surroundings should be “pure”. “This is wrong. Sanatan says we cannot harm anyone,” a man is heard saying. He also says serving meat to the goddess is “fictional” and there is no proof of this in Hindu religious scriptures.
Fishmongers of Chittranjan Park were in a state of disbelief last week when the anti-meat overdrive of the Hindu right wing hit the local markets with a warning to shut shops because they were close to a temple. Some shopkeepers claimed they were the ones who built the temple in the first place. Divendu, a fish vendor, said that some people came to his shop and asked him to close his shop, as they recorded the incident on camera.
“We told them the land was approved by the DDA for us to set up our shops. No one has ever asked us to shut down before,” he said. “We are Bengali Sanatanis. We also pray before opening our shops each day - this is our tradition.” Mithoon Das, another shopkeeper, said he has been selling fish in the area for 25 years and what happened that day was unprecedented.
Ashok Bose, the vice-chairman of the EPDP, an apex body of the Bengali community in CR Park, said the group became aware of the issue through the social media. He said the fish market association has submitted a complaint to the EPDP, and its Secretary, Ashok Bhattacharjee, would file a police complaint today. “The fish market was here even before the temple was built. In fact, shopkeepers pooled in money to build the temple,” Bose said.
