A Tribal District Faced Non-Veg Ban On Republic Day. Why It Didn't Work Out

Spread over less than 9,000 sq km towards southern Odisha is Koraput, a district predominantly inhabited by the tribal population. Known for its hilly terrain and diverse mineral deposits, the district barely grabs headlines. Koraput came into the political limelight in recent days after a massive row erupted over a planned ban on non-vegetarian food. The ban wasn't for any religious reasons. The ban was ordered by the district magistrate on the occasion of the 77th Republic Day.

Non-Veg Ban Falls Apart

In a letter to tahsildars, block development officers (BDOs) and executive officers, District Magistrate Manoj Satyawan Mahajan yesterday directed them to enforce the prohibition in their jurisdictions.

The order stated that they must issue an official notification prohibiting the sale of meat, chicken, fish, eggs, and other non-vegetarian food items.

The notification, however, didn't stand the test of time. In a tribal-majority district, it wasn't meant to stand for long. Even state-wise studies suggest that a vegetarian diet is followed by less than 3 per cent of Odisha's population.

The non-vegetarian ban order was eventually revoked today after public backlash.

The earlier ban order was issued purely on the suggestion of the District Level Republic Day Preparatory Committee, clarified Mahajan in a fresh notification, assuring that it has been revoked with immediate effect.

How Tribal Leaders Reacted

Tribal leaders were among those who vociferously opposed the ban order. They argued that it isn't the government or a public servant's job to tell people what to eat or not. In a tribal-majority district, such a move could backfire, they even warned.

Ram Chandra Kadam, a Congress MLA from Pottangi in Koraput, put the people's sentiment into words.

"Koraput district is an Adivasi-majority area. People are free to decide what they would eat and what they wouldn't. The government or the collector (DM) can't decide it. The collector shouldn't have issued the ban," he said.

Pradeep Majhi, another tribal leader who was formerly an MP with the BJD, condemned the DM's earlier order to ban non-vegetarian food in Koraput on Republic Day. 

Stating that particular dietary choices are being imposed on people, he said, "The people's sentiments are being played with. This has never happened in our country. I condemn this. The government shouldn't indulge in such acts."

The government shouldn't oppress people, or else it will face problems in the coming days, Majhi warned.

Opposing the non-veg ban, Congress's Lok Sabha MP Saptagiri Ulaka argued that an elected Republic cannot honour the Constitution by curbing constitutional freedoms. 

"The ban on sale of non-veg food on Republic Day in Koraput is arbitrary, exclusionary, and unconstitutional. What was the necessity? Why single out a tribal dominated, culturally diverse district?" he questioned.

"Republic Day is about liberty, not coercion," he later said, sharing that the order has been rescinded.

NDTV has reached out to the BJP for a comment.

(With inputs from Dev Ghosh)