BHOPAL: After the Yogi Adiyanath government's crackdown against illegal slaughter houses in Uttar Pradesh (UP), the Madhya Pradesh (MP) government has now announced shutting down illegal slaughter houses across the State.
The BJP-ruled Haryana had also announced a similar crackdown on Saturday, while Jharkhand had decided to shut down illegal abattoirs in March.
MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the move at a religious function of the Jain community in Mohankheda of Dhar district (300 km from Bhopal) on Sunday.
The CM was among a host of politicians who attended the Acharya Pattabhishek ceremony of Jain seer Rishabh Vijayji. CM Chouhan made the announcement in response to a request made by the Jain seer, who became head of the Mohankheda pilgrimage on Sunday.
Acharya Rishabh Vijayji said he had raised the issue of illegal slaughter houses with the chief minister during his recent visit to Mohankheda for the State BJP executive meeting.
He also remembered having raised with the CM the issue of both halal and jhatka slaughter.
The CM responded promptly to the Jain seer’s concerns by announcing the shutdown. However, Shivraj Singh Chouhan did not give a deadline for the crackdown against illegal slaughterhouses.
Chouhan further gave the Jain seer the status of 'rajya atithi' (State guest).
CM Chouhan had in April, during the ongoing Narmada Seva Yatra, announced to make MP a dry State in phases.
Acting on the lines of UP, BJP ruled Haryana had decided on Saturday to crackdown against illegal slaughter houses for which 21-point guidelines were issued to all urban local bodies in the North Indian State.
In April, Bhopal mayor Alok Sharma had said that the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) had identified 100 illegal meat shops in various parts of the State capital and assured action under relevant rules and regulations. The Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) had, also in April, demolished an illegal meat shop cum slaughter house in Manik Bag area.