On 9th January, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) OBC team district secretary Subramani from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, was booked by Thudiyalur police for allegedly telling a couple in Udayampalayam village to stop selling beef near Veeramathi Amman Temple. Hundreds of locals gathered to protest the police action against Subramani, following which security was tightened in the area. Following the protest, the case against BJP functionary has been reportedly withdrawn.
இந்துக்களுக்காகவும், இந்து கோயில்களுக்காகவும் இதுவரை பாஜக மட்டுமே போராடி வந்தது…🚩🚩
— Kaniyampoondi Senthil (@Senthil_TNBJP) January 10, 2025
இன்று பொதுமக்களும், களத்தில், ஆடிப் போனது #திருட்டு_திமுக அரசு🙏
பாஜக ஓ.பி.சி அணி மாவட்டச் செயலாளர் சுப்பிரமணி அவர்கள் மீது பதியப்பட்ட கேஸ் வாபஸ்…👍#DMKFailsTN
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Reportedly, the protesters blocked the road leading to Maniyakarampalayam. The village is home to temples, including Mariamman, Veeramathi Amman, and Karupparayan. This is not the first time villagers have protested against such beef stalls in the area, as there are temples and schools.
Reportedly, the couple in question, Abhitha and Ravi, were selling beef biryani on a cart. The couple are residents of Ambedkar Colony in Udayampalayam and had recently set up several stalls serving non-vegetarian dishes close to SS Kulam Middle School.
On 9th January, Abhitha filed a complaint with the Coimbatore City Police Commissioner’s office in which she claimed that Subramani prohibited them from selling beef on 25th December. In her complaint, she said, “When we asked him why we were being stopped from selling beef when others in the area were selling fish and chicken dishes, he threatened us. Subramani and his supporters threatened us again on 5th January.” Following her complaint, the police registered a case against Subramani under Sections 351(2), 126(2), 192, and 196.
Meanwhile, a video of Subramani allegedly asking the couple to stop selling beef in the area as there was a temple nearby went viral on social media. In the video, Subramani was heard saying that the decision to stop beef sales was taken by the entire village and that CPM councillor V Ramamoorthy was aware of it.
Reportedly, initially, Ravi agreed to move the cart, but Abhitha refused. Subramani recorded the arguments between himself and the couple and published them on social media, saying that the decision not to sell beef dishes was supported by the village.
In a statement, Ramamoorthy said, “The couple had informed me about opening their stall, but they changed the location. They have now shifted their stall near the Mariamman Temple, which is owned by residents of neighbouring villages. Initially, the couple said they would sell only chicken soup, but later, they started selling beef. There are no regulations against beef shops, but right-wing supporters opposed it simply because the shop is near a temple.”
Following the controversy, the village committee ordered the removal of seven roadside carts, including the one owned by Abhitha and Ravi. While CPM and CPI functionaries filed a petition with the Police Commissioner, seeking intervention to uphold people’s food rights, village head V Palanisamy demanded that Thudiyalur police take action against the couple for hurting people’s sentiments.
Meanwhile, speaking to the media, Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai said that only a part of the video had been released. He called for a thorough investigation into the matter.
