I think in the beginning it was less to do with religion and more to do with hygiene and health.
India is a humid country. It’s very hot most of the year, and even in winter, during the day, the weather can be warm in many areas. I mean, it is not as cold as other regions of the world.
Meat, in the absence of refrigeration, begins to rot fast. Even vegetables and fruits rot, but their smell and the condition of their rotting is not as repulsive as that of meat.
You throw meat in the open and when it rots, it is ripe for spreading smell and disease. Throw vegetables and fruits in the open, they become manure.