Crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses to ensure proper law and order in UP: BJP

Amid a crackdown in Uttar Pradesh by the new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government to enforce a ban on cow slaughter and illegal abattoirs, the government on 28 March, 2017 said the move aims to ensure proper law and order in the state, adding it is only going by the rule book.

"In 2015 the NGT have ordered that there should be ban on illegal slaughter houses. The action is against only illegal slaughterhouses. Yogi Adityanath ji wants to establish a proper law and order in the state... People who are trying to make a political issue and trying to give a religious color to this issue is not good. The move aims to ensure health safety of the people by ensuring safe and clean meat to them", state Cabinet minister Shrikant Sharma told ANI.

"Some political outfits are associating this step with one specific religion as a part of larger conspiracy to defame the state government. People are intelligent they will not fall prey to this," he added.

Echoing similar sentiments, castigating opposition parties for unnecessarily brewing insecurity amongst the people of the state, BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said rival political outfits have no agenda to focus, hence are politicising such issues.

Meanwhile, the meat seller urged the Uttar Pradesh Government to come up with provision so that legal shop owners can work without any problem.

As per the shop owners, the government is not renewing their license and when they open their shops the police ask them to close it.

A number of shops are closed as they are not able to get meat due to its scarcity.

After coming to power, the Adityanath-led government has ordered the closure of illegal slaughterhouses and strict enforcement of the ban on cow smuggling to fulfil a key electoral promise.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath earlier on 26 March, 2017 said abattoirs operating legally will not be touched but action will be taken against those being run illegally.

Meat sellers across Uttar Pradesh are on an indefinite strike from 27 March, 2017 against the crackdown on illegal and mechanised slaughterhouses.

Fish vendors were also claimed to have resolved to join the stir which has seen non-vegetarian delicacies go off the menu in several parts of the state.

-ANI