‘Beef fry’ will be back on the Kerala House menu from tomorrow after it was taken off the menu today following a raid by the Delhi Police. The state guesthouse had temporarily taken buffalo meat off the canteen menu, but dismissed allegations that beef curry was served at its premises, saying that only buffalo meat was offered.
Earlier, a sudden PCR call was made complaining about beef curry being served at the Kerala House. The complaint was made by a member of the right-wing Hindu Sena who said that the guest house in the Samriddhi canteen near Jantar Mantar was serving “beef curry”.
Chandy dashed off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in protest complaining that Delhi police “overstepped” their brief and demanded that he take strong action against those responsible. Several Kerala MPs also staged protest at the entrance to Kerala House in the national capital.
The Chief Minster said, “Kerala house is not a private hotel, police should have shown restraint.”
No cow meat served at Kerala House: State govt
Even as Kerala government lodged a complaint with Delhi Police today over the unauthorised entry of some activists into Kerala House following allegations of cow meat being served there, a CPI(M) MP termed the incident as “highly deplorable”.
Briefing reporters at Kerala House in Delhi, Kerala Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson dismissed claims that beef was served in the canteen there.
“No. I totally deny it. We have never done it. What they have done is they have given buffalo meat and that is what they term as beef. No cow meat was served,” he said.
Noting that a complaint has been lodged with Delhi Police over the entry of some activists into Kerala House without taking permission from the Resident Commissioner, Thomson said that they were waiting for police action with respect to their complaint.
Bassi defends Kerala House raid
Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi on Tuesday defended the raid on Kerala House, saying they had done nothing illegal and were well within their rights under the Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act 1994 to investigate.
“We are an instrumentality of law and when we get a call, we have no choice but to respond. And in this case we acted as per the law and are entitled to act in this fashion under the Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act 1994,” said Bassi.”
He added that they had no choice but to respond since the call they had received was from a person, who had a history of taking the law into his own hands.
The Kerala MPs however had issued an ultimatum, asking for beef to be brought back on the menu.
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has condemned the raids by Delhi police.
I strongly condemn Del police raid on Kerala house. I agree with Kerala CM that Kerala House is a govt est & not a pvt hotel(1/2)
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) October 27, 2015
Del police had no business to enter Kerala house. It is an attack on fed structure. Del police is acting like BJP Sena(2/2)
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) October 27, 2015
Will Del Police go n arrest a CM from a state Bhavan in del if they suspect the CM to be eating something that BJP or Modiji don't like?
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) October 27, 2015
More political reactions:
“Kerala CM is politicising the issue. Beef to be served in restaurants is illegal as per law of the land (Delhi),” Siddharth Nath Singh.
Police has the right to investigate if it receives complaint, he added.
I strongly condemn what happened in Delhi at Kerala Bhavan.An unwise and unhealthy attempt to curb fundamental rights of people.Intolereance
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) October 27, 2015
A team of the Delhi Police had gone to Kerala House following complaints from an activist of the Hindu Sena that cow meat was being served in its canteen. But after the investigation it was found that the canteen served only buffalo meat which was named “beef” on its menu. The item was however taken off the menu after the outrage.
The police force remained deployed there for several hours and had conversations with the officials posted there. They also informed them about the PCR call and later returned, assuring them that the situation was under control.