Man shot dead in Kerala’s Idukki after a tiff over beef curry at roadside eatery
Martin left the place immediately and headed for his house nearby. He came back with a revolver and fired at least five rounds, police said. One of the bullets hit Sanal Babu (34), a bus conductor, who was standing outside the shop.
A man was shot dead and two others injured on Saturday night after an inebriated young man who was annoyed with a roadside eatery in Moolamattum in Idukki district for not serving beef curry, fired shots at a crowd with a country-made weapon, police said.
Philip Martin (26) and two of his friends visited a roadside eating joint (thattu kada) and asked for food. The owner of the eatery, a woman, told them that their favourite dish-- beef curry-- was over. But they started verbally abusing the owner and later when other customers questioned them, a scuffle took place inside the eatery, the police said.
Martin left the place immediately and headed for his house nearby. He came back with a revolver and fired at least five rounds, police said. One of the bullets hit Sanal Babu (34), a bus conductor, who was standing outside the shop. A bullet hit him on his neck and he died on the way to the hospital while two others were also injured. Both of them are, however, out of danger.
“Dead drunk, they came to our eatery around 10 pm on a bike and asked for beef curry. Our serving staff told them beef curry was over. They started verbally abusing the staff. Then some of the customers said since it is a shop being managed by women not to make such nasty comments,” said the owner of the eating joint P Sowmya. Later they rushed out of the shop and came back in a car and fired shots indiscriminately, she said. She said initially some shots were fired in the air and later they aimed at the crowd.
“The accused is under custody and we found that the revolver was locally-made and we have identified the blacksmith also. We will charge Martin for murder and other charges. His friends will also be detained for questioning,” said station house officer E K Soli Mon.
In Kerala, beef is a delicacy and it amounts to 60 per cent of the total meat consumed. Known as poor man’s meat around 60 per cent of the population relish the red meat. Not just Muslims and Christians, Hindus also eat the tongue-tickling dishes made of beef. When beef was banned in many north Indian states, Left wing student outfits had conducted beef festivals on many campuses a couple of years ago.
