Indian expatriates in the Kingdom have slammed parliamentarians of the Hindu nationalist Shiva Sena party for force-feeding a fasting Muslim, with some calling for them to be stripped of their positions.

The bizarre incident involved 11 Shiv Sena parliamentarians led by Rajan Vichare, a member of the hard-line party, and key ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which swept to power in the May elections.

The MPs pushed a chapati into the mouth of a fasting Muslim catering supervisor at the Maharashtra government’s official guesthouse in the Indian capital New Delhi.

Akhtar Ul-Islam Siddiqui, president of the Middle East Non-Resident Indian Association, said: “This certainly demonstrates their (Shiv Sena) mindset and thinking for the less privileged. How can a member of parliament oppress a powerless canteen caterer for no reason except him being in an advantageous position?“

He said that he does not view this as a religious incident, but one of power relations. “It’s a sad case of exploitation and a labor law violation. A criminal case must be lodged against them and their membership of parliament revoked. What they’ve done is against our constitution,” he said.

Mohammed Quaiser, president of Tanzeem Hum Hindustani, a voluntary non-commercial, non-religious organization of overseas Indians in the Kingdom, said that strong action should be taken against the parliamentarians.

He argued that they deliberately hurt Muslim sentiment because the name of the employee was visible; and that he repeatedly stated that he was Muslim.

“We urge Parliament to uphold the dignity of the august house by taking tough action against the unruly behavior of the members,” Quaiser said.

He said Parliament should direct the government to launch an immediate inquiry and take appropriate action “so that such wanton behavior is not repeated.”

There was an uproar in both houses of the Indian Parliament on Wednesday. Members from the Congress party, All India Majlis-e-Ittihadul Muslimeen and the Indian Union Muslim League, sent a letter to the Speaker demanding a probe into the incident.

Anti-Muslim rhetoric by Hindutva elements has increased in India after the BJP came to power. Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Praveen Togadia recently made a controversial statement reminding Muslims about the Gujarat and Muzaffarnagar riots.

Earlier, an information technology expert, Mohsin Shaikh, was allegedly beaten to death by Hindu Rashtra Sena followers. Its chief Dhananjay Desai and other members were arrested in connection with the incident.