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Chandigarh: A 28-year-old YouTuber was arrested on Monday, December 8, after he was caught allegedly feeding chicken momos to a cow in Gurugram’s Sector 56 HUDA market in Haryana and publishing the video online.

Ritik Chandna claimed he was paid Rs 3,000 in return for feeding chicken momos to the cow. The shocking visuals prompted many on the internet to ask him to take down the video as it was hurtful to religious sentiments.

Chandan, who lives in New Colony and goes by ‘Dopeman’ on several social media channels, had originally uploaded the video a few days ago. In the video, he can be seen ordering a plate of chicken momos for himself first. After eating a few, he offered the remaining momos to a nearby cow standing idle.

According to officials, people from the neighbourhood saw the video and immediately asked him to delete it.

“When he refused, they alerted a group of self-styled cow vigilantes, who then informed the police,” the officer told the media.

Cow vigilantes intervene

The vigilante group reported it to the Sector 56 police station and filed a complaint. Soon, the police registered a case against him under sections 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) and 325 (mischief by killing or maiming an animal) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Videos also emerged on social media, showing a group of vigilantes herding the man to his father and mercilessly beating him in a group.

Police have confirmed that he was brought to the police station by a group of complainants and was arrested.

The video was also submitted to the police officials for further investigation.

The incident sparked debate over how the situation escalated into an act of vigilantism that resulted in the accused being beaten in front of his family.

Chandan studied English Honours at Delhi University from 2018 to 2021 and has been active as a streamer on various platforms. His father owns a footwear shop on Railway Road, and his mother is a doctor in a private hospital.