Mahua Moitra Shares Video Of Fish Shops Being Forced To Shut In Delhi's CR Park: 'BJP Goons Threatening...'

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Tuesday alleged that fish and meat shops in Chittaranjan Park, a Bengali-majority locality in southeast Delhi, had been shut down.

She shared a video on social media, claiming that "BJP goons" were "threatening" traders for operating fish markets adjacent to a temple.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, rebutted the allegation, accusing Moitra of sharing a doctored video with the intent of inciting communal discord in the area, reported India Today.

Responding to the controversy, the Delhi Police said no formal complaint had been received but confirmed that the matter was under investigation.

The clip posted by Moitra on X features a man wearing a saffron T-shirt and jeans, stating that it was inappropriate to operate a fish market so close to a temple in Market No. 1 of Chittaranjan Park (CR Park), a well-known upscale neighbourhood in the capital.

"The market is just adjoining the temple. This is wrong. It is hurting the sentiments of the Sanatanas. Sanatana Dharma says we should not kill anyone... This is pure fiction that fish and meat are offered to deities. There is no such proof in the 'shastras'. The entire country is watching this," the man says in the video.

A shopkeeper in the video tells the man that the fish market was legally allotted by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). The man responds, "Yes I know that. The DDA can't run away with its responsibility. We will fix their mistakes. CR Park is a posh area and foreigners come here."

Moitra countered by asserting, "The temple in CR Park that BJP goons laying claim to was built by the non-veg market vendors! They pray there - the big pujas are held there. Three months of a BJP government in Delhi. Good anniversary present."

She also shared a screenshot of a WhatsApp message allegedly sent by a local resident in Bengali, describing the "forcible closure" of meat and fish shops in the area as "a terrible situation."

"Didi, I saw your tweet about the forced closure of meat shops. I live near CR Park. Here, all the meat markets and fish shops have been closed for the past 10 days. The situation is terrifying," read the message.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj, a former three-time MLA from the Greater Kailash constituency, which includes CR Park, said the fish shops were not unauthorised constructions and criticised the BJP for "creating problems" in the area.

"These fish shops were allotted by the DDA. This is not any illegal encroachment. If the BJP had a problem with CR Park Bengalis eating fish, they should have said so in their manifesto," Bharadwaj said.

"Bengalis in CR Park are one of the most educated communities in Delhi. Their sentiments and eating habits must be respected. I am a vegetarian and I never had a problem with their eating habits. Why is the BJP creating problems in such a peaceful area?" he added.

Delhi BJP President Responds

Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva rejected Moitra's claims and emphasised that fish markets in CR Park were legally sanctioned, and the traders had always upheld the sanctity of religious spaces.

"Everyone should respect sanctity of temples. CR Park fish markets traders have always respected temples. Fish markets have been legally allotted and they are the needs of the area. The fish traders maintain a high-level of cleanliness in the area and take regular part in socio-religious activities of Chittaranjan Park," he said.

He added, "The video posted on social media by Mahua Moitra seems to have been tailored by people with vested political interests to disturb community harmony in CR Park."

Sachdeva said he "strongly condemned" the matter and urged the Delhi Police to take necessary action.