Headlines
Meat ban creates stir in Mumbai, quiet ban in Rajasthan
Mumbai/Jaipur, Sep 10
A four-day ban on meat
in Mumbai -- in view of a Jain religious festival -- stirred huge
protests in India's financial capital on Thursday, while the measure was
quietly enforced in Rajasthan.
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court, meanwhile, reiterated an over 150-year-old ban on beef in the state.
The
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, in a bid to regain political relevance, led
the protests in Mumbai's Dadar suburb, the hub of the meat-loving
Maharashtrian community by selling the banned items on Thursday -- the
start of the eight-day-long Jain holy festival of Paryushan which
devouts observe through religious austerity/fasting and forgiveness.
“We
challenge the authorities to take action against us… This meat ban is
unjustified, violates our fundamental rights and intended to appease a
particular community against the wishes of the huge majority,†MNS
leader and corporator Sandeep Deshpande told media persons.
He
dared the civic authorities to “take action†against the sale of chicken
and fish and said the people were entitled to eat whatever they wanted
anytime, and the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had no right
to stop them.
After the hour-long impromptu fish and chicken
market, Deshpande and half a dozen protestors were detained by the
police and the temporary stalls were removed.
Earlier this week,
the BMC imposed a ban on sale of meat on four days of the Paryushan
festival, while the adjoining Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation in
Thane had declared a complete ban during September 11-18.
Other
civic bodies like Navi Mumbai and Nashik have also followed suit with
similar partial ban on certain days, hitting the slaughter and sale of
mutton, chicken and fish items.
Though the ban has been implemented in Mumbai in spurts since 1964, it has never led to street protests.
However,
after the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena government came to power and
banned beef in the state, most parties have strongly protested at the
meat-ban this year on Sep. 10, 13, 17 and 18.
Hearing a public
suit filed by Bombay Mutton Dealers Association (BMDA) challenging the
BMC’s move, a divison bench headed by Justice Anoop Mohta directed the
civc and state authorities to file affidavits on the issue.
Terming
the ban as ‘not feasible’ in a metropolitan city like Mumbai, Justice
Mohta observed that such a straight ban cannot be a formula.
He
further stated that while the ban is on slaughter and sale of meat, what
about other sources like packaged meat products already available in
the markets.
The matter will come up for further hearing on Friday.
The
order issued by directorate of local self government addressed to all
the district collectors and municipal bodies said, "keeping in mind the
Jain festival of Paryushan sale of meat, fish and slaughter houses would
remain closed for three days on September 17 and 18 due to Paryushan
and Samvatsari and then on September 27 due to Anant Chaturdashi."
Anant Chaturdashi is an important day in the Hindu and Jain calendars of festivals.
Meanwhile,
a division bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court comprising Justice
Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Janak Raj Kotwal directed the director
general of police (DGP) to ensure strict compliance of the order on beef
by issuing appropriate directions to all the senior superintendents
(SSPs) and station house officers (SHOs) in the state.