Woman held in Gurugram over video of ‘cooking beef, targeting WB CM’

The accused, originally from West Bengal, was arrested after a complaint led to an FIR under BNS provisions on religious sentiments.

A 34-year-old woman was arrested in Gurugram and sent to judicial custody after she allegedly posted a video on social media in which she claimed she was “cooking beef” and made remarks targeting West Bengal’s new chief minister, police said on Tuesday.

Authorities preserved a copy of the deleted Facebook clip and sent the seized mobile phone for forensic examination. (File photo)

According to police, the woman, a native of South Dinajpur district in West Bengal, has been living in Chakarpur in Gurugram’s Sector 28 with her husband and two daughters, aged 16 and three, for the past five years. She works as a domestic help.

The case came to light on May 30 after a resident of Chakarpur lodged a complaint regarding the video. Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered at DLF police station under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings.

Police alleged that in the video, the woman claimed she was “cooking beef” for West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari and said that the people of Bengal would punish him. To be sure, the accused can be heard invoking the name of “Suvendu Basu” in the video.

Investigators familiar with the probe, however, said the woman told police during questioning that the video was recorded on May 25 while she was cooking chicken and that she had falsely claimed in the video that it was beef.

The video has since been deleted from her Facebook account, though investigators have preserved a copy as part of the probe.

The woman has moved a bail application before a local court. The plea came up for hearing on Tuesday, but the court adjourned the matter and fixed June 8 as the next date of hearing.