Canara Bank employees in Kochi protest alleged beef ban by serving beef outside office
Kochi: Employees of Canara Bank in Kochi staged an unusual protest on Friday by serving beef and parotta outside their office, opposing what they alleged was a beef ban imposed by the regional manager.
According to members of the Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI), the regional manager, a native of Bihar who recently assumed charge in Kerala, had instructed the canteen staff to stop serving beef. The protest, initially planned against alleged mental harassment and insulting behaviour by the manager, turned into a demonstration of food choice rights.
“A small canteen operates here, and beef is served on select days. The manager informed the canteen staff that beef should no longer be served. This bank functions according to the Constitution. Food is a personal choice. In India, every individual has the right to choose their food. We are not forcing anyone to eat beef. This is simply our form of protest,” said BEFI leader S.S. Anil.
The protest drew political support as well. Left-backed independent MLA K.T. Jaleel endorsed the demonstration, declaring that “no Sangh Parivar agendas would be allowed in Kerala.” Writing on Facebook, he said that questions of what to eat, wear, or think should not be dictated by superiors and hailed Kerala’s history of resistance to communal agendas.
Kerala has witnessed several such beef protests in the past, particularly in 2017, when the central government issued restrictions on cattle sales for slaughter.
Authorities have not issued an official response regarding the employees’ allegations or the protest.
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Four of family killed as car jumps divider on highway in Gujarat's Panchmahal
Godhra (Gujarat) (PTI): Four members of a family were killed, and one sustained grievous injuries after their speeding car jumped a divider on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway corridor in Gujarat's Panchmahal district on Monday, police said.
The car driver lost control of the wheels near Kalol. As a result, the four-wheeler jumped the divider and veered off to the other side of the highway, an official from Kalol police station said.
Soon after the accident, some locals rushed to the scene and also alerted the police. Efforts were made to pull out the people trapped in the car.
Four persons died on the spot, while one suffered injuries, the official said.
The deceased were members of a family from Vadodara and were returning from Rajasthan when the tragedy struck, the official said.
They have been identified as Sajid Iqbal Khinji (55), Ilyas Iqbal Khinji (50), Ishaq Iqbal Khinji (48) and Rehan Azgar Khinji (35).
