BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • Trending

The Indians who have a beef with the ban on beef

  • Published
    3 March 2015
Share page
About sharing
Media caption,

By BBC Trending
What's popular and why

Indians expressing outrage that beef has been banned in the state of Maharashtra have generated one of the world's top trending hashtags.

India has a contradictory relationship with beef. It's a secular country where many eat the red meat but Hindus, who comprise 80% of India's 1.2 billion population, revere cows, leading many parts of India to place restrictions on beef. But ever since Maharashtra, one of the country's largest states with Mumbai as its capital, imposed an especially stringent beef ban on Monday, the hashtag #BeefBan, external has soared up Twitter's trending charts. It has become one of the most used terms on the network across the world, appearing more than 22,000 times in less than 24 hours.

Much of the conversation was critical of the decision, and tweets laced with sarcasm appeared in abundance. "Eat what we tell you to eat. Watch what we tell you to watch. Wear what we tell you to wear. Don't complain. We are a democracy. #BeefBan," was a typical example, external. Others used it to flag up what they saw as hypocrisy in the decision. "Now ban all these please," another said, external, posting a picture of all the products in which cattle are used.

A long list of products made from cattleImage source, @hisaming

Some made dark jokes to highlight other social problems facing the country, like the series of high profile rape cases. "Good to know a cow can now step out after dark and wear what she likes," wrote comedian Neeti Palta, external.

The overwhelming weight of opinion expressed on social media was in opposition to the ban. That may suggest that liberal voices are more dominant online, however, not that the decision is unpopular. Most tweets were published in the urban areas around Mumbai and New Delhi. Still, a distinct segment of the conversation did show support for the move. "As a Hindu, I fully support #BeefBan. Killing or instigating to kill any living creature is a sin," said one tweet, external. Indeed, vegetarians calling for the ban to be extended to other animals joined the debate in numbers.

Discussion of the ban dominated Reddit's India subforum, external, making up the top four discussion topics. Humour seemed to be the order of the day. "In addition to a weed guy and booze guy, I now have to find a beef guy!?!" said one comment.

Next story: Talk to me: the students working to resolve the Ukraine crisis

You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, external, and find us on Facebook, external. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending.

Top stories

  • Live. 

    More than 100 agencies say mass starvation spreading across Gaza, accusing Israel of aid 'siege'

    • 5482 viewing5.5k viewing
  • City traders have rate-rigging convictions quashed

    • Published
      10 minutes ago
  • 'There will never be another Ozzy': Stars pay tribute to rock legend

    • Published
      1 hour ago

More to explore

  • Kendrick and SZA deliver stadium-worthy show

    Kendrick Lamar and SZA perform together at the 2025 Super Bowl
  • Does Edinburgh's Royal Mile need 72 tourist gift shops?

    In the foreground there are postcards of Edinburgh and red tartan kilts with a man and a woman looking through other items in the gift shop. In the background is a traditional red telephone box, a man in full highland dress and the spires of St Giles Cathedral.
  • 'RIP Ozzy' and 'LionYESSS!'

    The front page of the Daily Star  and the Times.
  • 'They shot patients in beds' – BBC hears claims of massacre at Suweida hospital

    White plastic sheets cover bodies in the carpark of a hospital in Suweida. There is debris of chairs and hospital beds scattered across the ground too
  • Gaza war: Is the UK selling arms to Israel?

    An Israeli F-35 jet imposed over the BBC Verify branding.
  • Wild life of Ozzy Osbourne, rock's 'prince of darkness'

    Ozzy Osbourne
  • 'My friend died right in front of me': Student describes moment air force jet crashed into school

    Wearing his school uniform with green tassles on his shoulders, Farhan Hasan looks towards the camera as he is surrounded by adults.
  • The voices in the cockpit fuelling controversy over Air India crash

    Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft VT-ANB is pictured near Malpensa Airport in Milan, Italy, August 19, 2017.
  • Sex, murder and bodies in suitcases - who were the men involved?

    Yostin Mosquera (Left), Albert Alfonso (Middle) and Paul Longworth (Right) on a speedboat. They are wearing lifejackets and smiling at the camera. There is clear blue sea behind them with the wake of the waves. In the distance palm trees can be seen on the shore line.
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    City traders have rate-rigging convictions quashed

  2. 2

    'There will never be another Ozzy': Stars pay tribute to rock legend

  3. 3

    Protests in Ukraine as Zelensky signs bill targeting anti-corruption bodies

  4. 4

    'A hospital gave us two death certificates for dad to cover up their mistake'

  5. 5

    AI deepfake porn humiliated me, says Mordaunt

  6. 6

    British couple held by Taliban 'may die in prison,' son warns

  7. 7

    'I felt ignored by police when I was cyberflashed'

  8. 8

    Teeth marks suggest 'terror bird' was killed by reptile 13 million years ago

  9. 9

    'RIP Ozzy' and 'LionYESSS!'

  10. 10

    Heathrow boss 'frustrated' at being asleep during fire

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Jacob Elordi stars in explosive war drama

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    The Narrow Road to the Deep North
  • Revealing the secrets of our species

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Humans
  • A nationwide manhunt that ended in tragedy

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    The Big Cases: The Aristocrat, the Convict and the Missing Baby
  • Will Alison and Daniel be in tune again?

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Mix Tape
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.