IIT Madras ‘Beef Fest’ Organiser Thrashed by Alleged Right-Wingers

Suraj R, PhD scholar in Aerospace Engineering department, is seriously injured in the right eye.

A day after IIT Madras students organised a “Beef Fest”, one of the organisers, Suraj R, was allegedly attacked by right-wing students.

A PhD scholar in Aerospace Engineering department is seriously injured in the right eye and is currently on the way to a multi-specialty hospital in Chennai.

The group that attacked Suraj allegedly issued death threats to all the ‘beef eaters’ on the campus, Indian Express reported. They had also filed a complaint against the fest on Monday.

A friend of the scholar said, "It is being reported as a beef party. It was not a celebration of the right for us to consume beef."

He said that the main point of the event was to have discussion within the institute and to raise awareness.

Seeking to register a protest against the Union Environment Ministry’s controversial restrictions on cattle trade, a group of around 80 students from IIT Madras participated in a ‘beef fest’ organised in the campus on Sunday.

Organised by the Progressive Students’ Union, the event also included discussions on the impact of the Centre’s new rule on poor farmers and Dalits.

Speaking to news agency ANI, students said the government’s move could interfere with one’s dietary freedom. Another added that governments in different states haven’t been able to function, owing to the Modi government's attitude.

Also Read: Beef Fest Reaches TN After Kerala, IIT Madras Video Goes Viral

Last week, the Ministry of Environment made it compulsory for sellers and buyers of cattle to furnish an undertaking stating that the cattle sold through cattle markets would not be used for slaughter. This, as many have pointed out, could directly cause a shortfall in supply of meat to abattoirs across the country.

Also Read: ‘Beef Fest’ at IIT Madras Sparks a Political Row