Zomato stopped delivery of non-vegetarian food on Ayodhya Ram Mandir event day after 'govt notice'

Food delivery giant Zomato has revealed that it suspended the delivery of non-vegetarian items in Uttar Pradesh, Assam, ⁠Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan on January 22 as per a government notice. The day marked the inauguration of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir and the consecration or "pran prathishtha" of its Ram Lalla idol.

The matter came to light after an X user pointed out that non-vegetarian items were not available for delivery on Zomato. To which, the company's customer care handle replied, "Hi, we have disabled delivery of non-veg items in Uttar Pradesh, Assam, ⁠Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan as per govt. notice. Hope this clarification helps!"

The announcement did not receive a lot of support as other X users pointed out, Zomato's rival Swiggy had not imposed any such restrictions.

"Indian constitution guarantees freedom to eat whatever and wherever. Public places are understandable, but why can't individuals eat whatever they want to in their homes? Who are you to tell them? Will definitely file a PIL in court against Zomato," commented another X user The Indian Socialist (@AndoolanJeevi), while a third user Selvakumar Vaiyapuri (@vpselva) wrote, "Who the hell has the rights to dictate what anyone can eat on each day?"