Hindutva activists force KFC, local eatery in UP to shut down over meat sale
Lucknow: In yet another display of rising religious vigilantism, Hindutva activist stormed a KFC outlet and a local eatery named Nazir in Ghaziabad in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh state, demanding a halt to meat sales and forcing both establishments to shut down.
According to Kashmir Media Service, members of the Hindu Raksha Dal, a right-wing outfit, staged protests outside the two food joints, disrupting business and intimidating staff.
Videos of the incidents, now viral on social media, show Hindutva protesters carrying saffron flags and chanting Hindu slogan like “Jai Shri Ram” and “Har Har Mahadev.” One clip shows the activists forcibly pulling down the shutter of the KFC outlet, while another captures them entering the restaurant and confronting staff, demanding that only vegetarian food be served.
“All of these items should be banned in the month of Sawan,” one protester is heard saying.
The incident has drawn criticism online. A well-known journalist, Rajdeep Sardesai, criticized the act on X, writing: “UTTER IDIOCY: a self styled Hindu vigilante group storms a KFC outlet in Ghaziabad and forces it to shut down, saying can’t sell meat during the month of Sawan. Please don’t eat chicken, but why stop others? And why are cops missing in action yet again? By the way, what about the mutton party of a BJP ally in Bihar?”
