Nagaland as India's 16th state was established with a promise to safeguard the practices of Naga people for whom beef is a staple food. The state cradled in the wilds of north eastern is ruled by an alliance in which the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an ally.
The state authorities on Sept 26 denied entry to a Hindu monk and his team wanting to conduct a march against the slaughter of cows, considered a holy animal in Hinduism.
Senior state official, Polan John, told reporters that the monk, Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Maharaj, and his team were denied permission to leave Dimapur airport in the state capital after they arrived there on Sept. 26.
John added that the monk was initially upset about the decision but accepted it when the government’s explanation was given.
He and his team departed for Guwahati city in neighboring Assam the same day.
They had wanted to stage a march in Nagaland on Sept. 28 calling for a ban on slaughtering cows, which is already prohibited in 20 Indian states.
The state government denied permission, citing the sentiments of 1.97 million people in the state, 88 percent of which are Christians. For many of them beef is a staple food.
The state was established in 1963 under a special act (Article 371) safeguarding the social practices of its people, the Nagas.
As part of their march, the team planned to raise a “cow flag” (gau dhwaj) to declare the cow the 'Rashtra Mata' (national mother).
"We are surprised why the Nagaland government took such a decision,” a spokesperson for Shankaracharya later told UCA News.
The spokesperson noted that Shankaracharya has not spoken against anyone or any community. He only wanted to pass on a message.
The influential Naga Students’ Federation opposed the march, saying it will not allow Nagaland “to be used as a platform for divisive activities.”
The BJP in Nagaland also opposed the march, and the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) issued a statement condemning the seer's move.
The NDPP said that the party is committed to protecting the sentiments of the people and noted that the state assembly had already decided not to implement a ban on cow slaughter in 2019.
Eating beef is controversial in India due to the cow's sacred status.
Several Muslim beef traders and consumers have been attacked and killed by cow vigilante groups, which the BJP often patronizes.
Violence in the name of cows intensified after Modi’s Hindu nationalist government came to power in 2014.
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