Don't intend to alter food habits: Modi govt after ban on cattle slaughter

Harsh Vardhan's remarks come amid protests over ban on sale of cattle for slaughter at open markets

The government does not want to "alter" the food habits of people and put businesses in this sector to trouble, Union minister Harsh Vardhan said.

His remarks come amid protests over the notification issued by his ministry on the sale of cattle for slaughter at open markets across the country.

"We drafted the rules after the Supreme Court directive. Following this, the notification was put in the public domain for a period of one month.| economy news

"Some suggestions came and were incorporated into the rules. Our intention behind issuing the rules is not to alter the food habits of people in anyway. We also do not have any intention of putting businesses of any kind to difficulty," the environment minister said.

The row over beef eating and cattle trade has led to protests in several states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

Vardhan said suggestions "are coming in and if anybody has any reservations, they can send it to the ministry and these suggestions will be looked at objectively.

"Now the matter is again in the Supreme Court," he said.

The Madras High Court had on May 30 stayed for four weeks the enforcement of the contentious notification.

The order had come on a petition challenging the bar as inimical to personal liberty, people's rights to livelihood and an encroachment into matters that are within the domain of the states.

 

Protestors challenge cow rakshaks by openly eating beef in Chennai

Attack on IIT's PhD scholar by students allegedly affiliated with Right wing bodies led to protest

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras on Wednesday witnessed protests against the attack on an institution's research scholar who participated in the beef fest on the campus on Sunday. A group of protestors challenged cow rakshaks (vigilantes) by openly eating beef during the protest.

Various students of Revolutionary Student Youth Front (RSYF), Students Federation of India (SFI), Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle (APSC), and activists of Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK) protested near IIT-Madras gate against attack on an IIT Madras research scholar by some Right wing students for participating in beef fest.

Sooraj R- a PhD scholar and a member of Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle (APSC) was allegedly attacked on Tuesday by some students, who are allegedly affiliated with Right wing student bodies.

However, the police detained the protestors before they could enter the Campus.

While other student bodies raised slogans against Narendra Modi led Union Government's order and demanded arrest of the students who allegedly attacked Sooraj, activists of the TPDK went a step ahead and openly ate beef during the protest.

A TPDK protestor told ANI that "Students wings affiliated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have brutally beaten one of the students of this institution. We condemn this dastardly act. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) is indulging in terrorist act and the attackers must be booked under Goonda act."

He added that 'beef eating act' was a way to put forward their demand.

"Eating beef is tradition of Tamil people and nobody can change this. Therefore, we demand the revocation of Centre's ruling on the sale of cattle ban."

Other protestor alleged that the police were unleashing violence against the protestors.

"Police have unleashed violence against protesters. They are beating us mercilessly. Is this a democracy? Do we not have right to speak, right to protest?

He also equated drinking cow urine practice with the practice of beef eating in Tamil Nadu.

"With regard to consumption of  beef  as the union government headed by BJP believes in drinking of urine, in the same lines, slaughtering cow and eating its beef is our tradition. We may eat beef or we eat something else, who are these people to stop or question us?"

(READ MORE)