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Fight breaks out in Kashmiri State Assembly after independent politician admits serving beef

Indian politicians exchanged punches and kicks after a member of the Kashmiri State Assembly, Rashid Ahmed, admitted to serving beef at a party he hosted.

Ryan Ramgobin
Friday 09 October 2015 11:31 BST
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Fight breaks out in Kashmiri State Assembly after independent politician admits serving beef
Fight breaks out in Kashmiri State Assembly after independent politician admits serving beef

A brawl broke out in the Kashmiri State Assembly on Thursday after it emerged that a member of the assembly, Rashid Ahmed, served beef at a party he hosted.

Fight breaks out in Kashmiri State Assembly after independent politician admits serving beef

Cows are considered sacred amongst Hindus, who make up 80% of India’s 1.2 billion people, and the slaughtering of cows is banned in most states.

22 out of 26 states in India ban the slaughtering of cows. Punishment can vary between fines and jail sentences of up to ten years.

Mr Ahmed, a Muslim politician, was attacked by members of the ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). BJP members were angry over a party hosted by Mr Ahmed the previous evening at which beef was served. Members have previously demanded that India enact a nationwide ban on beef sales.

The issue of slaughtering cows has always been a controversial topic in India but tensions have spilled over in the last two weeks.

In late September, a 50-year-old Muslim man in the Utter Pradesh state in northern India was lynched over rumours that his family had been consuming beef. Mohammad Akhlaq was dragged out of his home, kicked and beaten with stones to death by a furious mob.

Mr Akhlaq’s family said the family stored mutton, and not beef in the fridge.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been silent on the incident until Thursday when he appealed to the nation for a period of calm.

Speaking at an election rally in the eastern state of Bihar, Mr Modi asked for greater focus on ending poverty than succumbing to religious tensions.

“We must decide whether Hindus and Muslims should fight each other, or against poverty. Only peace and goodwill can take this country forward.”

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