BMC cuts meat ban in Mumbai from four to two days; Chhattisgarh joins banwagon

MUMBAI|SRINAGAR|NEW DELHI: The Maharashtra government on Friday reduced the ban on slaughter and sale of meat from four to two days, amid mounting pressure from the Opposition and public.

The ruling party in the BMC, Shiv Sena moved a resolution in the Mumbai civic body asking for a reduction in the number of ‘meat ban’ days, which was supported and later passed by all parties, including BJP. So, instead of meat being banned on September 10, 13, 17 and 18, there will be no sale of meat only on September 17. The move is a huge climb down for the right-wing BJP whose corporators were pushing for the ban, and many even wanted the ban to be extended to 8 days.

However, Chhattisgarh became the fourth BJP-ruled state to enforce a ban on the slaughter and sale of meat on a day when the Bombay high court termed the ban “regressive” and questioned the logic of the meat ban asking the government, “when you are talking of ahimsa, how come fish, seafood and eggs are not banned?”

In Srinagar and elsewhere in south Kashmir, cows were slaughtered in defiance of the J&K high court order enforcing the colonial era clauses of the Ranbir Penal Code.

Separatist leaderAsiya Andrabi is said to have personally slaughtered a cow at an undisclosed location in Srinagar on Thursday evening.

Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan had earlier banned the sale of mutton and on Friday, the Chhattisgarh government issued an order stopping the slaughter and sale of mutton for eight days.