'To become a good person, you must abstain from eating meat'- IIT Mandi Director

MANDI: Lakshmidhar Behera, the Director of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, has raised a thought-provoking concern linking the incidence of landslides in the region to the killing of animals. Behera emphasized the need to halt the slaughter of innocent animals, and during a recent event, he encouraged children to take an oath against consuming meat.

Director Behera conveyed a powerful message, asserting that refraining from meat consumption is a pathway to being a compassionate individual. He addressed students, highlighting the moral dimension of their dietary choices, stating, "To become a good person, you must abstain from eating meat. In Himachal, you are contributing to the loss of innocent lives, which is also closely tied to environmental concerns."

While the connection between animal cruelty and environmental repercussions may not be immediately apparent to everyone, Behera underlined the correlation by attributing landslides, cloudbursts, and other natural disasters to such acts of cruelty against animals.

Notably, Himachal Pradesh has recently faced extensive devastation caused by heavy rains, cloudbursts, and landslides, resulting in unprecedented loss of life and property. In response, both the central and state governments have formed various committees at different levels to investigate the causes behind these calamities, with concerted efforts to gather scientific evidence.