Ban on dog meat sale in Nagaland kicks up a storm

Nagas are fighting a dogged battle on two fronts since the state government on July 4 issued a notification banning the trade and sale of dog meat in the state. On the one hand, they are taking on the ban that they see as an imposition on dietary habits and invasion of their kitchen. And on the other, they are running a relentless social media campaign to convince the world that they are dog lovers, trying to correct the distorted image painted by overzealous activists in the run up to getting the state government introduce the ban.
“What was the need for such haste,” asks Theja Therieh, an executive member of Nagaland Tribes Council. “The government has every right to prevent cruelty but why wasn’t the issue taken to the assembly and debated?” Therieh says dog meat is a natural food not only in Nagaland but in several parts of northeast India. “Anything that is imposed on the Nagas, be it political or social, will never be accepted by the people,” he adds.
READ THE FULL STORY ON TOI+