Rumours of beef enough to shut down restaurant, trigger arrests

Was there any beef in a restaurant in Jaipur? The Gau Raksha Dal, led by Sadhvi Kamal, claimed so and protested. The members of the Dal alleged that the hotel staffers were throwing meat in the open and cows were getting sick after consuming the remains. 

The hotel employees denied that they had thrown any meat pieces which triggered protest by the members, police said. 

The police, reacting with lightning speed, made two arrests in double quick time. "The hotel manager Wasim and a cleaner Kasim were arrested under section 151 of CrPC (Arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences) and were released by a court yesterday," the police said. 

A separate FIR under section 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs)was also registered, but no arrest in the case has been made so far. 

However, the examination that was held afterwards found no beef at all. And while no beef was discovered in the hotel, it was sealed anyway by the Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) as the owner had no licence to operate. Senior Health Officer of the JMC Rajendra Garg confirmed the same to PTI. 

Apparently, merely the rumour of beef by any group is enough to trigger super-fast action by all the authorities. If only all crime got such attention in India. The police action has been criticised by activists of the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). 

"The entire action of the arrest of the two employees, registering the FIR and sealing the hotel which was running well only reflects the one-sided Hindutva agenda of the state government," PUCL General Secretary Kavita Srivastava told reporters. 

• Beef
• Jaipur