Gujarat: Bajrang Dal removes ‘Pakistani food festival’ banner from Surat restaurant
A banner put up by a restaurant in Gujarat's Surat city about a 'Pakistani food festival' was torn out and set on fire by members of Bajrang Dal.
The Bajrang Dal activists pulled down a banner announcing “Pakistani food festival” from a restaurant in Gujarat’s Surat on Monday. They tore down and burned the banner while chanting slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram” and “Har Har Mahadev”.
News agency ANI reported that restaurant, Taste of India, was organising a 10-day food festival between December 12 and December 22. The banner had been put up to promote the food festival.
The banner was put up near old sub-jail on the Ring Road in Surat. As the photograph of the banner circulated on social media, it drew objection from the Bajrang Dal members. They reached the spot, took it down and set the banner on fire.
Bajrang Dal leader Deviprasad Dubey said he raised the matter with the restaurant owner Sandeep Dawar who issued an apology for naming the food festival after Pakistan. The festival was then described as ‘seafood festival’ replacing the earlier theme based on Pakistani food.
Deviprasad Dubey said, “We got to know about the hoarding from social media following which we took permission from the South Gujarat convenor Dinesh Navadiya.”
“Later, we went to the spot and brought down the hoarding. We also called Dawar, the owner, and asked him why he has organised such a food festival. He apologised,” said Deviprasad Dubey.
Meanwhile, Sandeep Dawar of 'Sugar N Spice Restaurants', which operates 'Taste of India,' said they would continue to serve Mughlai cuisine but strike out the word "Pakistani" from the food festival. He said keeping it hurt the sentiments of some people.
“We will not use the word 'Pakistani' anymore in the food festival as it hurts the sentiments of some people. When we were using that word, we felt that some people might not like it, but we did not know it would turn out like this,” said Sandeep Dawar.
“We are just serving cuisine which has nothing to do with Pakistan as such. The second name of Mughlai cuisine is Pakistani food,” Dawar said.
No police complaint was lodged in the case.
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