Kalyan heightens security amid protests over meat ban on Independence Day

Thane, Aug 14 (PTI): Security has been ramped up in the Kalyan area following warnings from some political parties and butcher associations about protesting against the local civic body's directive to close meat shops and abattoirs on Independence Day, according to police reports on Thursday.

Various municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including Kalyan-Dombivli, Nagpur, Nashik, Malegaon, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, have ordered the shut down of slaughterhouses and meat shops on August 15. Similar closures have been ordered on other days concerning Hindu and Jain festivals.

The ruling BJP and NCP have expressed differing views on this issue, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stating that the government does not intend to police people's dietary preferences.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone III, Kalyan, Atul Zende, noted that security has been beefed up in the Kalyan-Dombivli civic jurisdiction to prevent any disturbances.

Some political parties have threatened to agitate near the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) by setting up meat stalls, selling meat, and holding gatherings. Notices will be served to potential offenders.

The police are contemplating the issuance of prohibitory orders for maintaining law and order. Most proposed agitations were identified via social media. Only a few political entities approached for official permissions, Zende added.

The KDMC has mandated a 24-hour closure of all slaughterhouses and licensed butchers of goats, sheep, chickens, and large animals from midnight of August 14 to midnight of August 15.

The civic body warned of action as per the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, 1949, if any animal is slaughtered or meat sold within this timeframe.

Despite criticism, KDMC Commissioner Abhinav Goel reiterated that the restriction on selling meat has been enforced yearly since 1988, not just for August 15 but also for Gandhi Jayanti, Mahavir Jayanti, Paryushan, Ganesh Chaturthi, and Sadhu Vaswani's birth anniversary. This policy stems from a report by the corporation's health officer.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), headed by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, challenged the closure, whereas its ally BJP upheld the measure, referencing a 1988 state government resolution empowering such restrictions.

Opposition parties have criticized this move as well. BJP noted the policy was introduced in 1988 during the tenure of NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar as chief minister, questioning if the opposition would address him regarding it.

Chief Minister Fadnavis labeled the controversy over abattoir closures on Independence Day as "unnecessary" while maintaining the state was uninterested in regulating food choices.

Deputy CM Ajit Pawar recently criticized the closure on August 15, addressing the imposition of such bans as inappropriate. Restrictions are usually based on religious sentiments on occasions like Ashadhi Ekadashi and Mahashivratri.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray called for the suspension of the Kalyan-Dombivli civic commissioner, arguing that dictating food choices goes beyond his authority.

The Congress accused the Mahayuti government of diverting attention from pressing issues by creating controversies over trivial matters like pigeon-feeding and Independence Day meat bans. State Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal alleged the BJP was fueling caste and communal tensions as a political strategy.

NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad planned a mutton party on August 15 to assert freedom over food preferences.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi condemned the decision to shut down slaughterhouses and meat shops on August 15, deeming it "unconstitutional" and questioning its relevance to Independence Day celebrations.

(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)