Hyderabad, February 16 A Muslim street vendor was allegedly harassed by a group of YouTubers during the recently held biennial mega tribal festival held at Medaram in Telangana's Mulugu district, and was forced to eat his own food.
A video of the incident went viral on social media.
The video shows the group, associated with a YouTube channel, questioning the vendor, who sells Kova buns (sweet made from milk), about the manufacturing date and quality of the food.
The vendor from the Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh tells them that he is just a worker. The group then asks him to eat the food and also demands that he show his Aadhaar card.
Police in the Mulugu district said on Monday that no complaint was filed regarding the incident.
Another video, circulated on social media, shows people from Vali's village, standing firmly in support of the vendor, saying that they have been eating his Kova bun for several years.
Reacting to the incident, Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh said that such divisive and communal behavior has no place in Telugu society.
Lokesh, in a post on 'X', said: "Dear Brother Vali, I am deeply sorry that you had to endure this. Such divisive and communal behavior has no place in our Telugu society, which has always stood for harmony, mutual respect, and brotherhood. I will meet you soon and look forward to tasting your famous Khoya bun! We stand together."
Earlier, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi had condemned the incident.
He demanded that the Telangana Police book cases against those who harassed the vendor, stating that such acts of intimidation and communal targeting are unacceptable and must be dealt with firmly under the law.
