A group of around 11 Shiv Sena MPs, apparently angry over not being served Maharashtrian food allegedly forced a Muslim catering supervisor fasting for Ramzan to eat a chapati at new Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi recently.
Within hours IRCTC, the Indian Railways subsidiary catering for the Sadan stopped all operations in protest. They complained in writing to Maharashtra Resident Commissioner J Saharia saying the employee Arshad Zubair S had been deeply pained and hurt as religious sentiments are attached.
In his complaint, Arshad said, “All the guests along with media reporters and staffs of Maharashtra Sadan got into kitchen where I was getting the orders prepared. They caught me and put the chapati into my mouth. I was wearing a formal uniform set as prescribed by IRCTC and everybody in the panel also knew my name as ‘Arshad’ as I was wearing the name tag. Even then they inserted chapati in my mouth which caused my fast to break on the eve of Ramzan. I was hurt with the thing they have done as religious sentiments are concerned.”
The Resident Commissioner subsequently apologized to IRCTC and Arshad. The Maharashtra government has said it is examining the matter and has promised appropriate action. MPs have said that they were insulted at the Sadan but claimed that the allegations against them were wrong.
