Student unions in Bengaluru organised a ‘beef fest’ on Monday to protest the centre's new cattle trade rules. However, there was no beef at the fest, except the one between the protesters and Hindutva groups.
Around 25 people gathered at Town Hall in Bengaluru, but only half of them were supporting the protests. Members of SFI, DYFI, and other left-aligned student unions were gathered for the protest, but were, perhaps predictably, joined by Hindutva outfits.
To protest against the planned protest, members of VHP and other outfits also gathered outside Town Hall at the same time. And within just a few minutes, a fight broke out between the two groups.
An SFI activist was speaking to media persons, when a VHP member slapped him as the camera was rolling. As the fight intensified, the Bengaluru police detained at least 20 people, from both sides.
The entire protest and counter-protest lasted for less than 10 minutes, as most of the activists were taken away to the police headquarters.
“We did not start the violence. Why are the police detaining us? This is unfair,” an SFI activist said while the police were taking him away in a van.
"They (SFI and DYFI) planned this to hurt Hindu sentiments and nothing more," said Sharadha Diamond, a Hindu activist.
DYFI and SFI activists who were detained began shouting ‘we want justice’ as the police van moved away.
The Left-leaning students’ group had announced ‘Mooment Bengluru’ – the beef fest – at the Puttannachetty Town Hall earlier in the day. They announced that protesters could bring their own beef, and that there would also be a few beef stalls at the protest venue.
“Of course, there will be opposition to our protest. We do expect a fallout but we have police protection,” Varkey Parakkal, organiser of the event had posted on his page.
Similar beef fests were held across Kerala and at IIT Madras in Chennai on Sunday as a mark of protest against the Centre’s recent notification which makes regulation of cattle slaughter more stringent.
(The story was originally published on The News Minute.)
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