Published Nov 13, 2026 | 1:04 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 13, 2026 | 1:04 PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi being received by Karnataka CM DK Shivakumar on his visit to Bengaluru. (Special Arrangement.)
Are meat-eaters anti-social? Does eating meat qualify as a marker of lawlessness?
A letter by the Bengaluru Rural Superintendent of Police, seeking a temporary ban on meat shops in the city ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, makes you wonder.
Modi is visiting Bengaluru for the inauguration of several developmental projects, including the Bengaluru Metro’s Pink Line. He is also attending a private event, the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Prashanti Kutiram, the headquarters of the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA), in Anekal taluk. The ban request was made for this visit.
In his letter, submitted to the Bengaluru Urban District administration, SP Chandrakanth MV sought a ban on meat shops, “in view of the possibility of some anti-social elements and miscreants disrupting law and order during the above programme.”
Following the letter, Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner PS Kantharaju issued an order directing meat shops in Anekal taluk to remain closed during Modi’s visit to the region.
“On account of Prime Minister’s visit to Anekal, on the directions of the district administration, the sale of meat has been restricted in Anekal,” Special Tahsildar Munivenkatappa confirmed to South First.
The order prohibits the sale of meat within the limits of Kallubalu Gram Panchayat in Jigani Hobli from 6 am on November 12 until 4 pm on November 13 as part of “security arrangements.”
The sale of liquor has also been restricted during the same period.
The restriction has been imposed under Section 163(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, citing security and law-and-order requirements.
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Condemning the order, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) called it a “blatant assault” on the constitutional rights of citizens, including the “rights to personal liberty, freedom of religion and conscience, and the freedom to choose one’s food and livelihood.”
“Under the RSS-BJP regime, we have witnessed a relentless attack on people’s choice of food, clothing, appearance, faith and livelihood,” the party said in a press release.
Stating that the ban on meat sales around Hindu festivals had become the norm, CPI(ML) added, “Imposing a Brahminical dietary code on religious minorities, Dalits and Adivasis… the same diktat is being extended to stage-manage the Prime Minister’s visit to a private function.”
The party also pointed out that the order was issued while a Congress government is in power at the state.
The CPI(ML) alleged that the Congress government in Karnataka, “which loudly claims to fight the Sangh Parivar and uphold constitutional freedoms, is in contradiction to its claims of protecting democracy, and is unconstitutional.”
(With inputs from Varsha Gowda. Edited by Fayisa CA)
