The Tirupattur district administration on Thursday postponed the Ambur Biryani Festival slated to be held from May 13 to 15, citing the rain forecast even as controversy broke out over the ban on the sale of beef and pork biryani at the event.
Acting on a petition, the Tamil Nadu State Commission for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes issued a notice to the Tirupattur Collector Amar Kushwaha questioning the “discrimination on communal basis”.
The administration had permitted only chicken, mutton, fish and prawn biryani to be sold at the festival. This had drawn criticism from Islamic and Dalit outfits, with even the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), an ally of the ruling DMK, disapproving of the ban on beef and pork biryani.
