Protest held in Bengaluru over beef ban, case filed against Girish Karnad

Bengaluru – The Town Hall premises here witnessed verbal clashes after a protest was held on Thursday April 9 against the beef ban in Maharashtra. The protestors cooked beef biriyani and ate it in public to register their opposition to the ban.

A prominent face in the protest was noted writer and playright Girish Karnad.

Following the incident, a person named M Vasudeva Rao Kasyapa who claims to be the relative of Girish Karnad, filed a case of religious incitement against Karnad at a local court here.

Karnad did not eat the biriyani himself, but only joined the protest. Nevertheless, this has angered Vasudeva Rao Kasyapa and several others.

“I have great respect for the artiste Girish Karnad. But by doing this he has brought great shame to our family as well as to all Brahmins like us and the Hindu community at large. This is direct provocation,” said Kasyapa.

Kasyapa is also said to be the national spokesperson of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha.

Speaking to reporters on the occasion, Girish Karnad said, “The act of banning beef eating is provocative. I may or may not eat beef but I will stand by the right of others for whom the meat is a crucial source of affordable nutrition. It is about people’s right to food and their right to life.”

The protest was organized by the activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI). Activists of Hindu organizations condemned the protest, and the police seized the first batch of biriyani the protestors had cooked. But it did not deter them – they then brought packets of beef biriyani from a hotel and continued with the protest.

Though some Hindu outfits got stay order on the protest from the high court, it was too late as the beef had already been consumed.

Police commissioner M N Reddi later said that the biriyani cooked on the spot was seized by the police to prevent chances of violence. Some BJP activists who tried to stall the protest were arrested. However, Sri Rama Sene chief Pramod Muthalik who had threatened to attack, was not to be seen.

Source: daijiworld