New Delhi, Sep 12 (The Indian Express): Haryana today became the 5th BJP-ruled state to ban the sale of meat for a period of eight days during the Jain festival of Paryushan.

Governments in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra have also enforced a ban on slaughter of animals and the sale of meat during the Jain festival so as to respect the sentiments of the community. The ban has kicked up widespread criticism across states with activists and opposition parties alleging that the government had no right to tell people what to eat.

On the first day of the four-day ban in Mumbai, meat shops reported heavy losses. According to the Bombay Beef Association, the city’s 900 carabeef shops suffered a loss of over Rs 3 crore, while 1,500 mutton and over 2,000 chicken retailers together faced losses of over Rs 6 crore. A petition was eventually filed by Bombay Mutton Dealers’ Association in the Bombay High Court challenging the ban. Responding to the petition, the Bombay High Court even said that the ban was not an apt formula for a modern city like Mumbai.

In Chhattisgarh, the government has also ordered suspension of sale of meat during the eight-day long fasting period and ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’ festival.

"Like every year, the Urban Administration Department has issued directives to civic bodies to keep all the slaughter houses and meat shops closed from September 10 to 17 for the Jain ‘Paryushan’ Parv and Ganesh Chaturthi," Deputy Secretary, Urban Administration, Jitendra Shukla told PTI.

In Rajasthan, the government said the ban was an annual affair. State officials said it is only meat shops and butcheries that are to remain closed; restaurants and eateries would be free to serve non-vegetarian food.

In BJP-ruled Gujarat too, a circular was issued by the slaughterhouse department of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) ordering the closing of all shops selling beef and mutton meat in the city.

With Inputs from Agencies