Congress suspends four members for killing ox in Kerala

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ The Congress in Kerala on Monday suspended four members for publicly slashing the head of an ox as part of protests in support of beef consumption.

The Kannur police on Sunday night registered a case against the Youth Congress activists. The killing of the animal has been condemned by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.

Youth Congress leader Regil Makutty and three others was suspended by the national leadership and the state Congress followed suit, a party leader said.

Despite Congress’s efforts to distance itself from the incident, Makulti said he had no regrets. “We don’t regret our act. This was done as part of our protest,” he told a television channel on Sunday.

The central government’s notification has triggered a political storm in Kerala with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan shooting off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the ban amounted to an “intrusion” into the rights of the states.