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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41 lakh illicit liquor seized, 1.84 lakh arrested in major drive: K'taka Minister tells Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Excise Department has conducted a statewide crackdown on illegal liquor trade over the last two years, resulting in arrests and seizures of alcohol, Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur said on Tuesday.
As many as 1,09,017 people were arrested, and seizures included 13.66 lakh litres of liquor and 27.19 lakh litres of beer, he said in a written reply to a starred question by Harihar BJP MLA B P Harish in the Karnataka Assembly.
The Minister said the enforcement drive covered the financial year 2023–24, 2024–25 up to June, and 2025–26 from July to October, targeting unauthorised liquor manufacture, storage, sale and transportation across the State.
"During this period, statewide enforcement drives resulted in a total of 1,84,570 raids against illegal liquor sales,” Timmapur said.
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He noted that 9,179 non-bailable cases and 91,968 bailable and compoundable cases under Section 15(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, were registered during the same period.
According to him, there have been no reports indicating that students have become addicted to alcohol due to illegal liquor sales.
The sale of alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited under the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and the department has issued periodic instructions to initiate legal action against violators, with strict enforcement and investigation measures in place, the Minister said.
Excise officials are carrying out regular road and night patrols, collecting intelligence, monitoring habitual offenders and conducting raids to identify illicit distillation units, unauthorised liquor outlets and spurious liquor manufacturing centres, he said, adding the department is also enforcing the law to prevent the production, storage, sale and transport of spurious, non-duty-paid and unauthorised liquor.
Regular patrols are being conducted on national and state highways, with suspicious vehicles being subjected to checks.
At the district level, standing committee meetings are held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners, and joint operations are carried out with the police and forest departments to curb excise-related offences.
The department is also conducting awareness programmes through Gram Sabhas and in schools and colleges to educate the public and students about the physical, mental and social health hazards associated with alcohol addiction and substance abuse, Timmapur added.
