Indians Divided Over Calls to Ban Non-Vegetarian Food

According to a 2021 Pew survey, only 39 percent of Indians are vegetarian, while out of those who eat non-vegetarian food, 81 percent eat meat or chicken with some restrictions - like they avoid eating them on certain days due to religious concerns or don’t eat certain non-vegetarian meals.

India has been witnessing a controversy over non-vegetarian food. Recently, demands have been raised by some groups in a few states of the country to ban the sale of meat or chicken, especially during Hindu festivals.

In one such development, three charitable trusts of Jain religion and a businessman filed a petition in the Bombay High Court urging a ban on advertisements of non-vegetarian food items, alleging that they infringe on their right to live peacefully and tamper with the minds of the children.

Such demands especially come up during Hindu festivals like Navratri which is celebrated twice a year. During Navratri, a lot of people prefer to avoid eating meat or drinking alcohol whereas the devout observe a fast for nine days.

Earlier this year in April, meat shops in Delhi were forced to shut for Navratri after civic body officials asked them to do so. It triggered massive outrage, and several politicians also slammed the move.

Similarly, the civic body in Bengaluru city of Karnataka imposed a ban on meat and slaughter on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.

Controversy also erupted in Gujarat in November last year when Rajkot Municipal Corporation announced that roadside stalls selling non-vegetarian food and eggs on the main roads would be removed. The decision was implemented in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Junagadh and Bhavnagar.

In order to understand the implications of such demands, Sputnik reached out to some people who preferred vegetarian food as well as non-vegetarian lovers and General Secretary of Ghazipur Murga Mandi (Chicken wholesale market).

Talking about the demands being raised to ban the sale of non-vegetarian food items, Mohammad Salim, general secretary of Ghazipur Murga Mandi told Sputnik: “Such demands are not new. In a country as diverse as India, there can’t be one food habit. Everybody has the right to choose what he or she wants to eat.”

“There would be hardly any impact of such demands as I think the government is wise enough to take decisions,” he added.

Salim, however, said that raising such demands during festivals such as Navratri is completely irrelevant because generally, people avoid eating non-vegetarian food.

Vishal Gupta, a vegetarian by habit, echoed the views of Salim as he said that calling for a blanket ban on chicken appears to be more bizarre than practical.

“These things create an unnecessary rift in the society where people follow different eating practices. Such calls are more politically motivated than scientific. Fringe groups with vested interests to gain short-term fame and popularity often build such rhetoric,” Gupta stated.

However, Abhishek Katiyar, a resident of Ghaziabad, had a different opinion as he said that festivals like Navratri are too auspicious for Hindus and if meat or chicken is sold in the open it doesn’t give a good impression.

“The sale of meat or chicken is not prohibited throughout the year. If there is a demand to ban the sale during the auspicious festival of Hindus then why there should be hue and cry. In our religion, we consider non-vegetarian food as Tamsic (demonic) food. Therefore, I believe it should be considered that meat shops should be shut down during important festivals,” Katiyar opined.

A lot of Hindus prefer eating vegetarian food throughout the year but there is a section where non-vegetarian food is included in the staple diet and sometimes it is a part of religion too.

In states like West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand, a lot of Hindus do not follow such rules and eat non-vegetarian food, especially fish, during the festival.