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Dadri Family Settles For Chicken Biryani Instead Of Buffalo For Wedding Feast To Avoid Controversy

"Bhay (fear) ka kya kar sakte hain?"
A man transports chickens on his motorbike at a roadside poultry market in Kolkata, India, May 4, 2016. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri
Rupak De Chowdhuri / Reuters
A man transports chickens on his motorbike at a roadside poultry market in Kolkata, India, May 4, 2016. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri

It's been over a year since 50-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched by a mob at Dadri's Bisara village in western Uttar Pradesh following rumours of beef consumption. But the fear among the villagers is still there.

On Tuesday, the family of a Muslim bride, much to their disappointment, served chicken biryani to the 'baraatis' who had come all the way from Meerut to Dadri.

The family did not slaughter a buffalo as they had not got permission from the local administration, reports Times Of India. And obviously, thanks to the history of Dadri, they didn't want to take a chance.

A day before the wedding, the father of the bride, Nazar Mohammad, called the father of the groom and requested him to downsize the baraat to a dozen people, reports Indian Express. This was after they had to make a last-minute change to the menu--they had to struck off buffalo biryani and replace it with chicken.

Nazar Mohammad, a 50-year-old carpenter, has a buffalo in the house and was set to sacrifice it on the occasion. However, they could not do so after a police officer allegedly threatened them if they served buffalo meat. He then had to arrange for chicken the night before the wedding.

According to reports, Nazar's relatives approached the police on Sunday to inform them that they will serve buffalo meat to the guests at the wedding. However, it didn't really go as planned.

Noor Mohammad, Nazar's brother-in-law alleged that they were denied permission and threatened instead. He said that the Circle Officer said that there was no restriction on consumption of buffalo meat. But, he alleged that a police officer outside "threatened to overturn the vessels of food and disrupt the wedding if we dared to serve the dish."

Meanwhile, Circle Officer Piyush Kumar Singh told Express that they are not required to "grant permission" for "personal consumption" of buffalo meat. Sanjay Tyagi, SHO (Dadri), said the family was only acting out of fear. "Bhay (fear) ka kya kar sakte hain? It's all in the mind, there is nothing we can do about it," he said.

And, that probably is the biggest reason to worry. That families are not serving and eating their choice of meat because they fear the consequences.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.