Activists say canteen has beef on menu; official denies cow meat is served.

Activists from a right wing group created a ruckus at Kerala House near Jantar Mantar on Monday, alleging that the canteen there was serving cow meat (in the name of beef on the menu).

K.G. Joseph, a protocol officer at the State’s guest house, however, said that the word beef in the menu referred to buffalo meat, consuming which was legal in the Capital.

Three members of Hindu Sena, who barged into the house complex after being instigated by a Vishwa Hindu Parishad activist from Kerala, also sought police intervention in the matter. They even threatened to resort to violence if the “sale of cow meat” was not stopped there.

Hindu Sena was recently in the news for attacking an independent MLA from Jammu and Kashmir, Engineer Rashid, and smearing his face with black ink for hosting a beef party in the valley.

Officials at Kerala House said they were taken by surprise by the episode as the serving of buffalo meat, called beef in general terms, was a well known fact. “It was around 4 p.m. that a police team, joined by some men, walked into our reception. They asked if beef was being sold there which we denied. This convinced the police and they left. We procure the meat from nearby government approved shops. So, there is no question of selling banned meat of any form,” according to the protocol officer.

Vishnu Gupta, the Hindu Sena activist who made the call to the police control room, however, kept insisting that beef meant cow meat.

The Delhi police, meanwhile, denied that they had visited Kerala House acting on the claims made by Mr. Gupta, and said a police team visited the place to ensure that there was no trouble caused by the right wing group.

“We had intimated the authorities there on our way and have even provided more men to secure the premise,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Jatin Narwal.