Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to act against Delhi Police officers who raided the Kerala House to verify if beef was served on the premises.
In a letter to Modi, Chandy said the raid violated all norms.
“The raid was conducted without any permission or prior intimation to the Resident Commissioner (of Kerala House). The Kerala government has filed a formal complaint to the Commissioner of Delhi Police,” said Chandy.
“I would like to inform you that Kerala House serves authentic Kerala cuisine, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. All the items in the menu are in accordance with and entirely within the confines of law,” he said.
Chandy asked Modi to instruct Home Minister Rajnath Singh to take appropriate action against the officers responsible for the police action on Monday.
Earlier in the day Chandy told reporters in Kozhikode that the police action was “unwarranted and unfortunate”.
“The police action is not acceptable. Delhi Police was wrong in what they did,” Chandy said, adding “Kerala House is not a private hotel. It’s the official building of the Kerala government”.
Following protests outside its premises, Kerala House removed beef curry from its menu after a little known group, Hindu Sena, lodged a police complaint that beef was being served there, an official told IANS.
“No one can dictate what one should eat, what one should wear, what one should write,” former defence minister A.K. Antony said here.
“It’s sad and very grave that people are being killed when one does what they like. It began since the Narendra Modi government took office,” Antony added.
A group of twenty police officials went to Kerala House on Monday evening to verify if its canteen served beef, Deputy Commissioner of Police Jatin Narwal told IANS.
Keeping in mind the beef-related untoward incidents taking place in the country, police went to Kerala House to verify the facts, Narwal said.
Kerala House said it served only buffalo meat in its canteen and called it “beef”. But it had decided to take the dish off its menu.
Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said he would meet Delhi Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung with a complaint about the police action. Delhi Police reports to Jung and to the union home ministry.
“Kerala House is an establishment of the Kerala government. If anyone had any grievance, they could have taken the accepted route and not sent police for a raid,” Chennithala said.