The new rifle cartridges contain gunpowder and musket ball. To ensure that the gunpowder and musket ball will not get wet, the cartridges are greased. It is believed that the grease was made out of pork fat or beef fat.
Believing that the rifle cartridges contains grease from pork fat, Muslims refuse to bite the tips off because they abhor pork and its products. On the other hand, the Hindus also refuse to bite the tips off because they believe that the grease on the cartridges was from beef fat. For them, cows are sacred and biting the tips containing that has beef fat is sacrilegous.
