Representative image (image:pashudhanpraharee.com)
Madhya Pradesh: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has banned the sale of non-vegetarian food, including eggs, chicken, and meat, in Madhya Pradesh’s Maihar during the nine-day festival of Navratri from March 30 to April 7.
Meat shops in Indore and Bhopal will remain closed on key festivals, including Chaiti Chand (March 30), Ram Navami (April 6), Mahavir Jayanti (April 10) and Buddha Purnima (May 12). Indore and Bhopal are the biggest cities in the state.
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Municipal authorities have warned of strict action, including licence cancellation, against violators.
Several BJP lawmakers, including PWD Minister Rakesh Singh, had demanded the meat shops in the state be shut down during Navratri.
While the Indore municipal corporations ordered a four-day shutdown of meat shops, the Hindutva group Hindu Rashtra Sangathan has demanded a nine-day ban, threatening to forcibly close shops.
“Why does the order not apply to big restaurants, including major brands like KFC and McDonald’s? Why are only small shop owners targeted while large restaurants remain unaffected?” Congress leader Sach Saluja said.
The state government, led by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, had also announced that liquor shops will be closed permanently in 17 religious towns, including Maihar, across Madhya Pradesh from April 1.
Maihar is home to the revered Maa Sharda temple, a Shaktipeeth for Hindus. The temple often witnesses tens of thousands of devotees visit the town during the yearly ‘Maa Shardey Chaitra Navratri Fair’.
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This isn’t the first time such a ban took place. In the past, local administrations in cities like Bhopal, Indore, and Ujjain have temporarily shut meat shops on Hindu festivals. Similar bans were also imposed in states like Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh during Navratri and other religious occasions.
The Navratri festivities began on Sunday (March 30) and will end on April 7.
