WATCH-Right-wing group protests outside KFC over meat sale during Shravan, demands vegetarian menu

Hindu Raksha Dal members on Thursday (July 17) protested outside a KFC outlet in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, calling for a ban on the sale of non-vegetarian food during the holy Hindu month of Sawan. The protest was also organised outside a local restaurant, Nazir, disrupting business and resulting in a temporary shutdown of both venues, according to report in Aaj Tak.

The video was filmed and has gone viral on social media platforms. In several videos, members of the right-wing group were seen holding saffron flags and chanting religious slogans like "Jai Sri Ram" and "Har Har Mahadev". There is also a video which shows protesters forcibly pulling down the shutter of the KFC restaurant in Ghaziabad.

The group also stood in front of the shuttered shopfront and chanted “Har Har Mahadev.” In another video, the protesters are also seen entering the restaurant building, confronting staff and calling for a shutdown. "All these items should be prohibited during the month of Sawan," one of the protesters was heard saying in the video.

In another video, the members of the group are heard quarreling with the staff at the restaurant, insisting that the outlet sell only vegetarian food for the month of Sawan. "All these things (non-veg) should be banned in the month of Sawan," one of the protester said.

The protesters were not seen engaging in physical violence but insisted that sales of meat be stopped, appealing to religious sentiments during the month of Lord Shiva. Sawan, or Shravan as it is commonly called, is a sacred month in the Hindu calendar, particularly for those who worship Lord Shiva. The majority of people fast and abstain from meat, liquor, and even onion and garlic during this month. The Kanwar Yatra, one of the biggest pilgrimages during this time, witnesses thousands of kanwariyas collect Ganga water to offer at Shiva temples. In several places, local authorities enforce partial meat sale restrictions during the month but no state-wide prohibition exists.