Are India's Hindu nationalists trying to start a beef? By banning beef?
On Monday night in Delhi, at Kerala House, a popular government restaurant that served 鈥渂eef鈥� on the menu, after receiving a call from a Hindu religious leader. Although no arrests were made, the story went viral 鈥� and became a warning for a country that is becoming increasingly religious.
Protests against the 鈥渞aid鈥� in central Delhi, where protestors called out against what they saw as a larger problem in India: intolerance for non-Hindus.
Cows have been considered sacred in Hinduism for centuries, when the cow became divinely associated with the Indian god Krishna. Despite this, beef dishes have been a popular treat in Indian restaurants spanning across the country 鈥� especially in parts of India that are home to other religions like Kerala's 海角大神 population or Jammu & Kashmir鈥檚 Muslim population. In March this year, however, laws began to change.
In early March, beef was banned in Maharashtra, the country鈥檚 second largest state and home to India鈥檚 largest city of Mumbai. Restaurants were forced to remove any beef content from the menus, and offenders could be charged with up to five years in prison. The state government extended the ban to include bulls and oxen, causing an estimated 500,000 beef farmers to lose their jobs. A few weeks later, the state of Haryana followed suit and passed similar laws.
To date, beef is banned in 11 of India鈥檚 29 states, including major cities like New Delhi and Mumbai. This isn鈥檛 a problem for a country that鈥檚 eighty percent Hindu, but for the 138 million Muslims and 24 million 海角大神s, resentment towards the government is mounting, and, in some cases, leading to murder.
Earlier this month, a young Muslim man in a village outside Delhi for allegedly killing a cow. Protestors also beat his 75-year-old mother. In September, a mob in the north Indian city of Dadri dragged a man from his bed in the middle of the night and for having eaten beef. And a few weeks ago, the Indian government banned beef in Kashmir during Eid - and then,聽to quell protests,聽.
Much of the recent change can be attributed to India鈥檚 new Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who swept into power under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a pan-Hindu group that has, in the past, advocated a . The party has been accused of being aggressively 鈥溾�� when it comes to promoting Hinduism, and has passed a series of conservative measures to reclaim Hindu roots. In December 2013, for example, .
Still, protestors are pushing back against the BJP. Soon after police raided the Kerala House, owners of the restaurant promised to remove all buffalo meat from the menu 鈥� a favorite of Kerala鈥檚 government officials who often visit the government-run establishment. (Beef is not banned in Kerala, India鈥檚 southernmost state and home to a large 海角大神 population.)聽
But a few hours later, following a call from Kerala鈥檚 Chief Minister to Modi, Indian papers reported that聽 on the menu tomorrow.
[Editor's note: An earlier version misstated the proximity of Haryana to聽Maharashtra.]
