At the Ambur Biryani Festival in Tirupattur, the prohibition on the sale of beef biryani caused a stir. Later, the Tirupathur district administration postponed the Festival set to take place between May 13 and 15, citing the impending rain as the cause in order to prevent an escalation of issues.
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In its statement, the commission said, while it was accepting what Tirupathur Collector had said over the Beef Biryani controversy, the district administration did not do anything to discriminate against people on caste basis. “In the coming days there should not be any restrictions and discrimination towards beef biryani on district-level biryani festivals. Also, beef biryani should not be avoided on biryani festivals which were conducted by district administration," it said.
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Earlier, the Thirupathur District Collector was questioned by the Tamil Nadu State Commission for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes about why beef wasn't allowed at the district's annual Ambur Biryani festival.
The commission denounced the action as "discrimination" against the Muslim community, the SC, and ST. The Ambur Biryani Fest, set to take place from May 13–15 at the Ambur Trade Centre, was momentarily postponed due to the expected torrential downpour.
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Several organisations criticised the collector's decision to exclude beef biriyani from the celebration and urged that the district administration rethink its choice.
The Tamil Nadu ST/SC Commission earlier sent the notice to the district collector, Amar Kushwaha, seeking his explanation.
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"The commission has received information by way of a petition that you, as the head of the District Administration, has arranged for a biryani festival at Ambur, proposing to exhibit in stalls for sales to the public, different items of the biryani which will number more than 20. In the press note, you have specifically stated that beef biryani shall stand excluded," the letter stated
(With ANI inputs)
