The rivalry between India and Pakistan has again assumed center stage — this time over literal beef.

Last month, a far-right Hindu fundamentalist group, Hindu Sena, hurled ink and oil at Engineer Rashid Ahmad, a Kashmiri lawmaker, outside a New Delhi press conference. The provocation? The lawmaker allegedly served beef — a strict taboo for many Hindus — at a party he hosted. The attack came on the heels of an incident during a Kashmir state assembly session in which members of India’s ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), punched and kicked Ahmad for the aforementioned transgression.

Shortly thereafter, members of Shiv Sena, another Hindu fundamentalist group, attacked an activist who organized a book launch in Bombay for the Pakistani foreign minister. Indian airwaves have been bursting with news of Shiv Sena threats forcing Pakistani artists to cancel concerts in India, and a Pakistani-staged play being overrun by Shiv Sena activists.