How Dadri and debate around beef ban is taking a toll on European expats

European expats and diplomats worried about their safety as the political heat over beef consumption rises

The “manufactured rebellion”, as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has termed the protests by writers, filmmakers and scientists to ostensibly protest the rising intolerance in India, is taking a toll on members of the European expatriate community.

The controversy over consumption of beef and the Dadri incident has left the European expatriate community, particularly in northern Indian towns like Gurgaon, a tad worried about their safety. The issue, according to sources in New Delhi’s diplomatic community, was discussed at a recent meeting of the respective political attaches of the European Union (EU) member counties.

The political attaches at the embassies of the 28-member European Union, particularly those from Western Europe, meet at routine intervals to exchange notes on the political and economic situation in India. These meetings are kept confidential, with even the Indian staff working at these embassies not being kept in the loop on the subject matter of these discussions.

But sources say the post-Dadri situation, where a 50-year-old Mohammed Akhlaq was killed by a Hindu mob allegedly on the suspicion of having slaughtered a calf and consumed beef on September 28 and subsequent incidents, has left expatriates working in the private sector to share their fears with the diplomats of their respective embassies on whether they should consume beef at home. Diplomats get their consumables in what is called a diplomatic bag.

The diplomatic bag or pouch is a sealed container which has legal protection. Such containers carry alcohol and meat from the home country to the mission apart from carrying correspondence. Expatriates get their supplies, including imported beef, from specific stores or importers.

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, who engage with the diplomatic community on a regular basis, have tried to allay these fears. They have argued that certain sections were trying to discredit the Modi government by “means other than political” and that the expatriates had nothing to fear. Moreover, there was no law that banned consuming of beef slaughtered outside India and imported into the country.