Youth who posted beef soup pictures arrested

A 24-year-old photocopy shop owner, who was attacked by a group of four young men for posting pictures of him consuming beef soup on Facebook, was arrested by Nagapattinam district police on Sunday for trying to “disturb the peace and communal harmony.”

Mohammad Faizan, a native of Poravachery village in the district, was arrested immediately after he was discharged from the Government District Headquarters Hospital on Sunday morning. Faizan was admitted to the hospital on July 11 after he was attacked by four people who took objection to his posting of pictures of beef soup on Facebook.

“Whatever you say, beef is the best,” Faizan wrote with pictures of beef soup on his Facebook page on July 11, unaware of the repercussions that he would face for the innocuous comment and post. Four hours later, the youth found himself in a hospital bed after he was attacked by four youth for consuming beef soup and posting pictures online.

Police sources said a case had been registered against Faizan and some others for trying to disturb the peace and communal harmony. “Faizan was arrested after he was discharged from the hospital. We will question him and follow the due process,” a senior police officer said.

Faizan was attacked and thrashed with wooden logs and iron rods by N Dinesh Kumar (28), R Agathian (29) A Ganesh Kumar (27) and M Mohankumar (28) when they saw him on the main road after he posted the pictures online. All the four were arrested on July 12.

Consumption of beef is quite common in Tamil Nadu and several restaurants, including those in Chennai, prominently display beef on their menu cards. This was probably the first incident in recent memory that a man was beaten up for consuming food of his choice in Tamil Nadu and a case booked against him.