NAGAPATTINAM: A youth was hacked by a gang near Nagapattinam on Thursday for posting a picture of himself enjoying beef soup on Facebook.
The attack has sparked outrage on social media, with #welovebeef and #beef4life trending on Twitter. The four suspects, alleged to be supporters of Hindu Makkal Katchi, have been arrested.
Mohammed Faizan (24), who holds a diploma in mechanical engineering, says he put up the post in response media reports about a complaint filed by Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK) against one Mohammed Yunus. A few days back, Yunus allegedly put up a ‘controversial’ post about eating beef.
Following this, HMK State secretary J Swaminathan filed a complaint against Yunus in Kilvelur. Yunus is a local functionary of VCK. In response, Faizan put up a picture of him having beef soup with a caption saying he relished it.
Around 7.30 pm on Thursday, a 12-member gang surrounded Faizan near Poravacheri Road. They hacked him on his right wrist, back and shoulder. He was found lying on the road by friends.
“I know the people who attacked me,” claimed Faizan from the hospital bed. Four persons have been arrested so far.
While Faizan alleged his attackers were members of the HMK, Swaminathan said: “They are our supporters, but not party members. We are trying to find out what went wrong.”