Clashes Between rationalists and religious reported over eating of cooked food on lunar eclipse day in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Nov 8: Police had a tough time in state capital Bhubaneswar and Berhampur in South Odisha on Tuesday as clashes, pelting of stones and throwing of cow dung reported over organizing a community feast of cooked food on the lunar eclipse day by the rationalists.

The situation took an ugly turn in both Bhubaneswar and Berhampur as those who believe in tradition clashed with the rationalists for defying the age-old tradition and organizing biriyani feast on the occasion.

In Berhampur police had to resort to mild lathicharge to disperse the activists of Bajrang Dal and members or Brahmin Samaj as they tore the banners and threw cow dung at the rationalists for organizing a community feast on the lunar eclipse day defying the tradition.

In state capital Bhubaneswar also hundreds of people believing in tradition gathered at the Lohia academy where the rationalists were organizing a meeting and community feast on Tuesday on the occasion of Lunar eclipse.

A clash erupted between the rationalists and activists at the Lohia academy, the venue of the community feast in which some rationalists were injured.

Both the groups pelted stones at each other and cow dung was thrown at the Lohia academy to protest the community feast organized by the rationalists on the day.
The rationalists had argued that there is no scientific logic that consumption of cooked food on the lunar eclipse had a negative effect and described the age-old practice of not eating cooked food during the lunar or solar eclipse being observed by the people as baseless.
However, the activists of Bajrang Dal, VHP and Brahmin Samaj had alleged that the rationalists have deliberately organized a biryani feast to hurt the religious sentiments of the people on the lunar eclipse day.

The police had to round up some people from the Lohia academy and beefed up the security to avoid any further untoward incidents and later tried to pacify the situation .
However, tense situations prevailed in both the places with both the rationalists and those who believe in the traditions remaining adamant on their stand.