New Delhi: A political row appears to be brewing after several municipal corporations in Maharashtra ordered the closure of slaughterhouses and meat shops on August 15 Independence Day, which also coincides with Janmashtami.
According to reports, the municipal corporation in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has announced closure of slaughterhouses, outlets and shops selling meat within city limits on August 15 and 20 in view of festivals. Similar orders have been issued by civic bodies in Nagpur, Kalyan in Maharashtra and Hyderabad in Telangana.
According to the order issued by the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC), slaughterhouses and meat shops have been asked to remain closed on August 15 on the occasion of Gokul Ashtami — Janmashtami, a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna.
The same order has been issued for August 20, which marks the beginning of ‘Paryushan Parva’, a key festival of the Jain community characterised by fasting and prayer.
On these two days, there will be a ban on slaughtering any kind of animal and selling meat in the city, said the civic corporation. The municipal corporation warned of action against those violating the order.
A copy of the order has been sent to the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar police commissioner and the municipal administration, asking them to deploy teams to enforce the directive.
The order has also been forwarded to all police stations in the city along with associations of butchers and civic ward offices for implementation, an official said.
Callous, Unconstitutional, says Asaduddin Owaisi
Terming the order as callous and unconstitutional, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that many municipal corporations across India seemed to have ordered that slaughterhouses and meat shops should be closed on 15th August. Unfortunately, @GHMCOnline has also made a similar order, Owaisi posted on X.
Further slamming the order, Asaduddin Owaisi said, “This is callous and unconstitutional. What’s the connection between eating meat and celebrating independence day? 99% of Telangana’s people eat meat. These meat bans violate people’s right to liberty, privacy, livelihood, culture, nutrition & religion.”
NDA ally and Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar Says Wrong To Impose Such Ban
NDA ally and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has also expressed displeasure over some civic bodies ordering the closure of slaughterhouses and shops selling meat on August 15, saying it was wrong to impose such a ban.
Such types of restrictions are generally imposed considering faith-related sensitivities on occasions like Ashadhi Ekadashi, Mahashivratri, Mahavir Jayanti etc, Pawar said, adding people eat vegetarian and non-vegetarian food in Maharashtra.