Ayodhya 'lifts' meat ban for Eid ul-Zuha

AYODHAYA: While Muslims of Musahra village in Uttar Pradesh's Sant Kabir Nagar are struggling for their right to offer kurbani (sacrifice) on Eid ul-Zuha, Ayodhya presents a contrast to the situation.

There is total ban on slaughter and sale of meat throughout the year in the temple town.But this curb is unofficially lifted during three days of Eid.

Muslims perform kurbani as well as distribute meat. No sadhu or mahant has ever raised any objection. But, with bans becoming order of the day , Ayodhya stands out in this regard. Barring three days of Eid, even cooked meat cannot be served publicly as per an Ayodhya Municipal Board (AMB) order.

Muslims residents say they have been performing kurbani without any hindrance for generations. About a 100-km away, Sant Kabir Nagar administration banned kurbani in Mushara after a riot in 2007.

"In Ayodhya, there was no problem even during the peak of the Ram temple movement in the 90s and post-Babri demolition tension...there was no riot in the town," said Naseem Ansari, a teacher.

AMB corporator Haji Asad Ahmad said, "We have been offering kurbani in Ayodhya for as far as I remember. Muslim families do it on Eid without any fear."

There are no non-vegetarian restaurants in Ayodhya.Even vegetarian food is served on Muslim dawat-e-walimas (wedding feasts) if organized outdoors. Those who want to serve non-vegetarian food either do it indoors or organise receptions in neighbouring Faizabad. "Muslims of Ayodhya never had problem following these rules," said Ansari. "It is the land of Ganga Jamuni Tahzeeb. We have been taught since our childhood to respect religious sentiments of other community . If our Muslim brothers are offering kurbani on the premises of their houses, why should we object," said Tiwari Mandir chief priest Mahant Girish Pati Tripathi.

Ayodhya SP (city) R S Gautam called kurbani in the temple town an old tradition.

Ex-Congress men want kurbani in party office

Two ex-Congress state secretaries, Haidaryar Khan and Akbar Baig, have proposed to carry out a goat sacrifice on the party office premises in Bhopal as part of the Eid ul-Zuha festivities, to portray the party's secular face and reverse electoral debacles. The party fears this could be a move by disgruntled workers to malign the Congress's image.