Man who triggered beef row arrested

“So, when a complaint regarding serving of beef was made to the police control room, Delhi Police should have alerted the animal husbandry department which would then take a call on inspecting the Kerala House canteen”, said a central government officer requesting anonymity.

Parliamentarians from Kerala on Tuesday protested the “beef raid” at the Kerala House, calling it an “infringement on the rights of the people”. But an investigation revealed that the meat used was not that of a cow but buffalo, which is not banned. State cabinet at its meeting on discussed the issue and chose to take legal course if the Centre also sticks to the explanation given by Delhi police that “they only did their duty and carried out an inspection in accordance with law”, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters here.

Delhi Police had come under the attack from various quarters, including the Kerala government, for failing to contact the Resident Commissioner before they “raided” the Kerala House canteen. Police said the involvement of a third person is being probed.

“But, buffalo meat, which is not banned, will be served from today itself at Kerala House no matter who opposes it”, he said.

He alleged that the raid was a “deliberate attempt to please somebody” and also to trigger fear in the minds of people.

As for the lynching of a Muslim man in Dadri in Uttar Pradesh and eminent Kannada writer M.M. Kalburgi’s murder in Dharwad in Karnataka, Rajnath Singh said he – as union home minister – could not intervene in law and order issues of the states “even if I wanted to”.

The Arvind Kejriwal government has asked Divisional Commissioner A Anbarasu to submit his fact-finding report by Monday.

The following day, the very same restaurant sold out of buffalo offerings in less than 45 minutes after hundreds of diners arrived to show their support for the Kerala canteen, which they felt had been singled out for political reasons.

“The Delhi Police Commissioner who misguided the nation and media has no business to continue in his post, either he should resign or he should be sacked”, he said.

Investigation later revealed that it was buffalo meet, and not cow, that was on the menu.

“The caller was already in police’s notice because of his past record”, said Bassi, adding that the officials deployed outside Kerala House to keep a watch were instructed to take preventive action in case Vishnu Gupta and his associates were caught doing any “mischief”. It sought punishment against security personnel involved in the “raid”.