Panji: After historian Ramchandra Guha posted a picture on their Twitter account, it resulted in a massive backlash and sparked controversy on social media site Twitter. On his post that Guha shared on Twitter, he said that he ate beef in BJP ruled Goa. With more than 2.8K replies and 1.3K retweets, the photograph had the caption, “after a magical morning in Old Goa we had lunch in Panaji, where—since this is a BJP ruled state—I decided to eat beef in celebration”.


Many on social media sites were quick to share their displeasure. Former BJP MP Balbir Punj has expressed strong objection to Guha's post and said that it was not hard to see how Guha's 'secular' mentality has turned him into an insensitive person. In his post Punj wrote "You are not enjoying a meal while eating beef and sharing the picture on social are purposely mocking at the faith of millions. Suit yourself. How your ‘secular ‘ mindset has turned you into a totally insensitive human being is not difficult to see."


Cow slaughter is banned in many states. Consumption of beef has also been barred in some of these states, including Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. It is also banned in the Union Territory of Chandigarh. The BJP ruled Goa is among the few states where there are no restrictions on cow slaughter. Hindustan Times reported that beef traders had protested harassment by cow-vigilante groups in January, following which chief minister Manohar Parrikar directed the police to crack down on such elements.

On Ramchandra Guha’s beef eating photo on Twitter, here is what others wrote -