Members of the right-wing group Hindu Raksha Dal (HRD) staged a protest outside a KFC outlet in the Indirapuram area of Ghaziabad on Thursday, demanding a ban on the sale of non-vegetarian food during the holy Hindu month of Sawan. The protest coincided with the ongoing Kanwar Yatra, a pilgrimage observed by devotees of Lord Shiva.
Carrying saffron flags and chanting slogans like “Jai Shri Ram” and “Har Har Mahadev”, hundreds of HRD members gathered outside the fast-food restaurant, calling for its closure. In videos that have gone viral on social media, protesters can be seen pulling down the shutter of the outlet and confronting the staff inside.
“Our message is clear,” said Pinky Chaudhary, chief of the Hindu Raksha Dal. “We are asking all non-vegetarian food outlets to refrain from serving such food during the Kanwar Yatra. If they want to remain open, they should serve vegetarian items only.”
Another clip shows HRD members entering the premises, insisting the restaurant either shut down operations or switch to an entirely vegetarian menu for the duration of Sawan. One protester is heard saying, “All of these items (non-veg) should be banned in the month of Sawan.” Although there were no reports of physical violence, the demonstration disrupted business and led to a temporary shutdown of the KFC outlet, as well as a local eatery named Nazir.
Responding to the incident, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Trans-Hindon) Nimish Patil confirmed that Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which deals with public order, had been imposed in the district. “The protesters violated the public order that was in place,” Patil stated. “A suo motu FIR has been registered against 10 unidentified individuals under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant. We are in the process of identifying those involved,” he added.
