Ritualists, mostly members of the BJP and the Bajrang Dal, clashed with rationalists over a community feast on lunar eclipse day on Tuesday. The clashes took place in Bhubaneswar and the southern city of Berhampur in Odisha.

The rationalists had organised the feast to fight the superstition against eating during an eclipse.

“The Constitution has given us the right to decide which food we would eat and which dress we would wear. We don’t believe in these theories of the lunar eclipse,” said social activist Bhala Chandra Sarangi from Berhampur.

Attacked with dung and stones, the rationalists stood their ground and continued with their feast. Police had to resort to a mild lathi charge to ensure law and order.

“We had organised a vegetarian feast for 150 people. But suddenly these people came armed with lathis and attacked us. Our people also protested. As the police intervened at the right time, a major clash was averted. But we shifted the venue and organised the feast at another place.

We have lodged an FIR at the Bada Bazar police station, Berhampur,” said Sarangi. Rama Kumar Patra, vice-president of the BJP unit of Ganjam district, told The Telegraph: “The so-called rationalists are trying to distribute cow meat. That’s why we protested.”

On being asked whether it’s not the choice of an individual as to what should he eat, Patra said: “They can eat the food they like at home. But organising a community feast to offend a community is wrong. It’s not tolerable,” said Patra.

In Bhubaneswar, too, there was a clash over a community feast at Lohia Academy at which vegetarian biryani and chicken biryani were served.

Again, the rationalists were attacked with cow dung and stones. The ritualists also allegedly broke the glass panes of the Lohia Academy. Police had to resort to mild force to bring the situation under control. Activists from both sides have been detained.

“We are also Hindus. But we will not be cowed down by them. They cannot dictate terms to us. What is good in Hinduism should be preserved but what is bad should be discarded. We need to understand the scientific temper,” said Prof. Pratap Rath, a rationalist.

“We have been organising the feast over the years. But the way some people started opposing us was wrong,” Prof Rath added.

Another rationalist Abhiram Mallick said: “On behalf of the Jay Vigan, we had organised the feast in Bhubaneswar to propagate the science. During our college days, we had been taught that solar and lunar eclipses are caused by the movements of the sun, earth and moon. All are related to science. We want to propagate these ideas. Today, we are going to lodge an FIR.”

The two sides had a scuffle even during the solar eclipse in October over a community feast.