Against Beef Ban in India

Against Beef Ban

Country

India

Campaign Description

In 2015 under the regime of Narendra Modi, there was an attempt to once again introduce laws that ban the selling of beef and slaughter of cows. The reasons are that as a Hindu majority nation, the religious feelings of the Hindus for the cow should be respected. The irony is that a majority in the nation rely on beef for cheap protein source and most of these people belong to either lower castes or the Muslim minority. The beef ban is obviously a move to further persecute those belonging to lower castes and Muslims. On 28 September 2015 a family in Dadri (close to Delhi) was lynched and a man killed on the suspicion that this Muslim family had kept meat in their house which was beef. It was later found to be mutton by the police. In the Jaipur Art Fair in Nov 2015 an artist's work showing a cow made of plastic that was suspended in the air was also brought down and the cow was made an object of worship while the artist's intentions were destroyed.

Campaign Objectives

In response a few sporadic beef festivals took place in colleges and public places but most were shut down. The campaign has been taken up by organisations that are secular and pro-minority, some student organisations and others.

Campaign Target Audience

Minority groups feeling persecuted especially Muslims, caste groups that are facing the brunt of casteism.

Campaign Tools and Activities (Online & Offline)

Social media channels (Facebook & Twitter), Newspapers & magazines, pamphlets

Campaign Outcomes

Campaign is still ongoing. Beef has been banned in more than 10 states in India. The outcomes of the campaign have not been very successful and limited to a circle of people who are already probably secular or open-minded. Knowing that this campaign was meant to create offline events in the form of beef festivals however most of the action was online or through newspapers and magazines.

Successes

To some extent, the persecuted groups of the beef ban campaign were meant to get a feeling of safety.

Failures

The campaign has not stopped the spread of laws to ban slaughter and sale of beef in more than 10 states. The public lynching in Dadri indicates that minorities are still vulnerable.Social Media Channels.