Workers of the NGO People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) were attacked with stones by a violent mob in Bhopal but later arrested by the police.

Three campaigners, one of whom was wearing a green burqa decorated with lettuce leaves and vegetables, stood in the street around noon with signs to encourage Muslims to become vegan by educating them about the vegan lifestyle and how it is not compulsory to eat meat for religious festivals, such as Eid.

However, a large mob attacked the campaigners, with the police having to step in to protect the women’s lives.

PETA India CEO Poorva Joshipura said: “The police did a great job in protecting these girls from the mob but what’s perplexing is that instead of filing an FIR against their attackers they filed an FIR on the victims.”

The women were charged under section 295A (outraging religious feelings), according to press reports.

Joshipura said that they were told that they were arrested in order to protect them and remove them from the mob, yet the campaigners were only released at 730pm the same day, after each of them paid bail of around Rs 10,000.

Joshipura added via email:

The women had police permission to hold an awareness event. The event was publicized on the 19th by PETA. It was covered, positive stories, in the press on the 20th. There was also a story on the morning of the 22nd.

Instead of anyone raising an official objection to allow us an opportunity to respond in a civilized manner, they formed a mob [and the previous night were] calling the women pretending to be interested journalists [to find out the location of the campaign].

When they reached, a pre-formed mob of people carrying signs (signs are not spontaneous, it requires pre-planning) attacked them. They stoned them, called for them to be raped, stripped, cut into pieces, murdered. They hit them, shoved them to the ground. One of our girls was bleeding from her head, another had her trousers ripped.

All are severely traumatized and it would be a danger on their lives for them to return to Bhopal, yet instead of filing an FIR on the attackers, the police filed an FIR on the girls.

The police claimed that it did know PETA would talk to members of a specific community when it gave permission, according to the Hindustan Times.

Feel free to email if you want to help.

Video of the mob and police++