Bengaluru Police Stops Pro-Beef Demonstration After Agenda Is Revealed

Bengaluru: A protest in Bengaluru this evening demanding the right to eat beef was disallowed in the heart of the city after it became clear through online posts that the organisers planned to cook and eat beef at the event.

The demonstration was called by the Student's Federation of India or SFI, which is affiliated to the Left. They had asked for police permission for a protest themed "My Food, My Right". But their request did not mention that they planned to cook and eat beef - an agenda inspired by a weekend event in Kerala that saw Youth Congress leaders slaughtering a calf in public, which was denounced by the Congress boss Rahul Gandhi as "thoughtless and barbaric." The SFI's intentions were brought to the police's notice through social media updates.

The demonstrations in states like Kerala and Karnataka are in reaction to the centre ordering a ban on the trade of cattle, including buffaloes, cows and camels, for slaughter. Animal markets will only be able to trade cattle for agricultural purposes such as ploughing and dairy production.

Too far, say critics, political opponents and meat traders.

The Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM), a right-wing organisation, became aware, like the police, of the SFI's plans to cook beef at the Bengaluru event through posts on social media. The police cancelled permission for the demonstration, and also did not allow members of the ABHM to enter the venue of the Left-affiliated event in Bengaluru.

There was a minor scuffle between the two groups of protesters when they came face to face.

Karnataka has a Congress government and the state allows the killing of old or unproductive cows.