Sparks fly over ‘beef festival’ in Hyderabad

Battle lines are being drawn between Hindu hardliners and students in Hyderabad over plans for a ‘beef festival’ to mark Human Rights Day on 10 December.

Hyderabad, India. Image by Haiderali44 / CC BY 2.0

Students are hoping to use the event to highlight how religious precepts are being used to harass minority groups, but some Hindu sects have openly called for the organisers to be ‘killed’ for harming cows, which are regarded as sacred by the Hindu religion. Several Indian states have introduced bans on beef in recent months, and accusations of cow slaughter have led to a number of deaths at the hands of lynch mobs. Read more: timesofindia.indiatimes.com