Chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’, right-wing group shuts KFC in UP, demands Sawan meat ban

Demanding that no non-vegetarian food be sold en route to the Kanwar Yatra during the holy Hindu month of Sawan, which is hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindus, members of the Hindu Raksha Dal staged a protest outside non-vegetarian restaurants in Ghaziabad’s Vasundhara area, forcing popular outlets like KFC and Nazir to shut down.

A video of the protest, which surfaced on social media, shows the group chanting “Jai Shri Ram” and waving saffron flags while demanding that all non-vegetarian food sales be immediately stopped along the pilgrimage route, insisting that meat preparation near the area disturbed the spiritual atmosphere for devotees.

The protestors maintained that the presence of meat-selling outlets during Sawan, a month when many Kanwar Yatra participants observe fasting and follow a strict vegetarian lifestyle, was offensive, and they argued that both the smell and sight of meat near the Kanwar route undermined the sanctity of the pilgrimage.

Hindu Raksha Dal members reportedly confronted staff at the KFC outlet and demanded that they shut their operations immediately, after which the shutters of the establishment were brought down, while the Nazir restaurant also ceased operations during the agitation.

Following the protest, the group submitted a formal memorandum to the local administration, urging authorities to impose a complete ban on non-vegetarian eateries within a 100 to 200-metre radius of the Kanwar Yatra routes during the entire Sawan period, and warned that they would intensify their agitation if meat sales continued.

Although the protest remained largely symbolic, the demonstrators issued an ultimatum to all meat-serving restaurants in the vicinity, asserting that religious sentiments must be respected and that continued sale of non-vegetarian food during this period would not be tolerated.