Delhi �beef raid� on canteen causes outrage

BBC, Chennai: The canteen of a Delhi guesthouse belonging to the southern Indian state of Kerala was visited by police after a rightwing Hindu group complained it had beef on its menu.
Staff told police that beef items on their menu were buffalo, not cow, meat.
Police said they only went to Kerala House as a "preventive measure", not to investigate the complaint or take meat samples.
An angry Kerala government has complained to the police.
Kerala is one of the few Indian states in which cow slaughter is legal.
But most states, including Delhi, ban the slaughter of cows, which is considered a sacred animal by India's majority Hindu
community.
Following Monday evening's incident, the police picked up the caller from the Hindu Sena group for further questioning.
"We dealt with the matter with necessary alertness and took our position. The objective was to ensure that law and order is not disrupted," Jatin Narwal, a senior police officer, told the NDTV news site.
However, Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy condemned the police for visiting Kerala House at all.
"The Delhi police should have shown restraint and consulted officials concerned before checking the premises for beef dishes," Mr Chandy told Indian television channels.
Despite not facing any charges, Kerala House has decided to take all beef items off its menu and media reports say that staff members have asked for police protection.
The incident has led to outrage on both social and mainstream media.
"Kerala's famed beef curry has been an annoying bone that got stuck in the throat of the Sangh parivar [Hindu hardline group], especially because many Hindus in the state relish the dish," an editorial in the Telegraph newspaper said.
Arun Shourie, who was a minister in the former BJP government, also criticised the government, saying its policies were identical to those of the previous Congress government - except for its preoccupation with cows.
"People have started recalling the days of [former prime minister] Manmohan Singh. The way to characterise the policies of the government is - Congress plus a cow. The policies are the same," he said at a function in Delhi. "Kerala House" was one of the top trends on Twitter India, with many criticising the government as well as what they saw as overzealous police action.
Meanwhile, several MPs from Kerala yesterday they protested outside the state guest house in Delhi after police entered the premises on a complaint that it serves beef. The parliamentarians carried placards which termed the police action an attack on Kerala House and condemned the act.
A political row also broke out over the police action with Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy condemning the "raid" as "unfortunate".

 

Delhi �beef raid� on canteen causes outrage

BBC, Chennai: The canteen of a Delhi guesthouse belonging to the southern Indian state of Kerala was visited by police after a rightwing Hindu group complained it had beef on its menu. Staff told police that beef items on their menu were buffalo, not cow, meat. Police said they only went to Kerala House as a preventive measure, not to investigate the complaint or take meat samples. An angry Kerala government has complained to the police. Kerala is one of the few Indian states in which cow slaughter is legal. But most states, including Delhi, ban the slaughter of cows, which is considered a sacred animal by Indias majority Hindu community. Following Monday evenings incident, the police picked up the caller from the Hindu Sena group for further questioning. We dealt with the matter with necessary alertness and took our position. The objective was to ensure that law and order is not disrupted, Jatin Narwal, a senior police officer, told the NDTV news site. However, Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy condemned the police for visiting Kerala House at all. The Delhi police should have shown restraint and consulted officials concerned before checking the premises for beef dishes, Mr Chandy told Indian television channels. Despite not facing any charges, Kerala House has decided to take all beef items off its menu and media reports say that staff members have asked for police protection. The incident has led to outrage on both social and mainstream media. Keralas famed beef curry has been an annoying bone that got stuck in the throat of the Sangh parivar [Hindu hardline group], especially because many Hindus in the state relish the dish, an editorial in the Telegraph newspaper said. Arun Shourie, who was a minister in the former BJP government, also criticised the government, saying its policies were identical to those of the previous Congress government - except for its preoccupation with cows. People have started recalling the days of [former prime minister] Manmohan Singh. The way to characterise the policies of the government is - Congress plus a cow. The policies are the same, he said at a function in Delhi. Kerala House was one of the top trends on Twitter India, with many criticising the government as well as what they saw as overzealous police action. Meanwhile, several MPs from Kerala yesterday they protested outside the state guest house in Delhi after police entered the premises on a complaint that it serves beef. The parliamentarians carried placards which termed the police action an attack on Kerala House and condemned the act. A political row also broke out over the police action with Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy condemning the raid as unfortunate.