MYSURU: A day after PM Narendra Modi slammed ‘Gau Rakshaks’ or cow vigilantes during his first-ever townhall style event, the city police stopped activists of the Karnataka Dalits Welfare Trust from mass consumption of beef here to protest atrocities on Dalits in Una, Gujarat.
Though the police had denied permission, the activists managed to bring a dish made of beef in an autorickshaw on Sunday. Two activists were arrested.
The activists had to limit themselves to speech as the food was seized by the police. The trust had planned the protest against increasing attacks on Dalits in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh and Chikkamagalur by consuming beef in front of the Ambedkar statue. However, the police turned down their plea as there is no provision to consume beef in public.
The city police headed by ACP Rajshekar stepped up security around the town by deputing inspectors, sub-inspectors, two platoons of KSRP, one platoon of DAR, besides a commando platoon.Trust president Shantharaju garlanded the statue of Ambedkar and raised slogans against the attack on Dalits. When the autorickshaw carrying the dish made of beef arrived, the policemen seized it. A case has been registered and investigation is on.
Forum threatens to organise beef eating programmes
Backward Classes Forum president K S Shivaram, SDPI state secretary Afsar Kodlipet and others opposed any attempt to impose a ban on consuming food of their choice.
Claiming that beef is a high-protein food, they sought to know who gave the rights to stop people from consuming beef.
They charged the Narendra Modi government with targeting food habits of Dalits and other minorities. The trust office-bearers threatened to organise beef eating programmes across the state and challenged the police to stop it.
Maheshchandraguru said beef is consumed across the globe and the Indian Constitution does not stop people from eating it.