CHENNAI: Meat vendors of Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar had to shut their stalls so as to not “hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus” during the Kanwar Yatra pilgrimage ritual. It is also understood that the district administration has covered the shops with black clothes.
As many as 114 Muslims were initially called for ‘peace talks’ and then subsequently detained under Section 151 (prevention of commission of cognisable offences) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) at local police stations newsclick.in reported.
“We were detained and sent to jail for a day. When we asked the police officer for which crime we were being sent to jail, he said our track record was bad. We were sent to jail for a day based on mere suspicion that we might commit any crime which would disturb the peace of the city,” a Muslim youth said to the news website.
While officials said the decision has been taken to "maintain peace between communities," meat sellers called it an "attack on their livelihood," according to the Indian Express.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had said, "Respecting the belief of devotees, meat should not be allowed to be sold in the open on the Kanwar route. The route should remain clean and sanitised. There should be provision for streetlights. Since the weather is hot, arrangements for drinking water should also be made," in a meeting with the state’s officials.
Kanwar Yatra started on July 4, 2023, and it will conclude on July 15, 2023