Cattle ban outrage: IIT-Madras students hold beef festival on campus

Chennai: Amid a nationwide debate over the central government rule that bans the sale of cows for slaughter at animal markets, a section of students from IIT-Madras held a beef festival on the campus to protest the ban on Sunday.

The spontaneous protest on campus saw around 70-80 students gather to discuss the notification. After the discussion, students served beef, which was brought from outside, as a token of protest.

Stating that the beef festival was not a planned one, Abhinav Surya, a final year student of IIT-M said, “The progressive students of IIT Madras participated in the event to condemn the recent legislation which bans cattle for slaughter in animal markets.”

“The government is interfering in the personal food habits of people. This is a clear move by the Centre to further its communal agenda,” he added.
Azhar Moideen, a final year student of IIT-M who participated in the protest, said, “The main call was for a discussion to happen and along with it beef was also distributed.”

Apart from the right to consume food, there is economy and production involved in it. “It’s a directive against the people who rear cattle, trade in cattle and people involved in the leather industry. The government is unwilling and unable to support the farmers,” he said. “This move is anti-farmer, anti-Dalit and anti-Muslim,” he added.

Though the IIT-Madras administration does not take any view on the protest, other section of students belonging to the right wing student body criticised it.