The state announced the ban in an order yesterday, on a day a similar ban in Mumbai was challenged by mutton traders and opposed by many political parties including the ruling BJP’s ally Shiv Sena.
In Chhattisgarh, the sale of meat has been banned till September 17 for the Jain festival of fasting, Paryushan.
The Bombay High Court is expected to decide today on a petition challenging the ban in Mumbai. Mutton traders have said that it discriminates against their right to a livelihood.
“An eight-day straight ban can’t be a formula. Mumbai is a modern city,” the court observed yesterday.
Maharashtra’s ruling BJP wanted a four-day ban to be extended to eight, which has been strongly opposed not just by opposition parties but also the party’s ally Shiv Sena.
The ban has also been enforced in Rajasthan and Gujarat, both ruled by the BJP.
The Rajasthan government has prohibited the sale of meat and fish on September 17, 18 and 27 on account of various festivals, including that of the Jains.
The ban has been enforced since 2008 in the state, both by the Ashok Gehlot and Vasundhara Raje governments, but this year, it has been extended by one day, which has angered some groups.
“It is all right to have a two-day ban, but anything beyond that is unacceptable. It affects people’s livelihood… if the ban is beyond two days, people should be compensated for loss of livelihood,” said Salim Engineer, a member of the Forum of Democracy and Communal Harmony.
In Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, Police Commissioner Shivanand Jha has ordered a ban on the slaughter of cattle like cows and goats for a week during the Jain fasting period. The state enforces the ban every year.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the High Court yesterday ordered the police to strictly enforce an existing ban on the sale of beef, triggering angry reactions from residents, politicians and separatist groups.
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