Beef protest at Canara Bank branch in Kochi over alleged canteen ban
Kochi: An unusual protest unfolded at a Canara Bank branch in the city on Friday as employees served beef and parotta outside the premises, opposing an alleged directive to bar beef dishes in the office canteen.
The demonstration was organised by the Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI), which had initially planned a protest against what it termed the “insulting behaviour” and “mental harassment” of the bank’s regional manager. The agitation shifted focus after reports emerged that the manager, a Bihar native who recently assumed charge in Kerala, had instructed the canteen to stop serving beef.
A federation leader, S.S. Anil, said, “This bank functions as per the guidelines of the Constitution. Food is a matter of personal choice, and every individual has the right to decide what to eat. We are not compelling anyone to consume beef. Serving beef today is a symbolic form of protest.”
The protest drew political support, with Left-backed Independent MLA K.T. Jaleel praising the employees’ action. In a Facebook post, he wrote that Kerala would not permit “Sangh Parivar agendas” to dictate personal freedoms.
The State has witnessed several such beef protests in recent years, particularly in the wake of the Union government’s 2017 notification restricting cattle trade for slaughter.
