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Mumbai meat ban starts today amid opposition by Shiv Sena, MNS

by IBNS 10 Sep 2015, 09:50 am

Mumbai, Sept 10 (IBNS) A controversial four-day ban on sale of meat began in Mumbai on Thursday morning while mutton dealers challenged the order in the High Court apparently backed by the defiance of Shiv Sena and Raj Thackeray's Navnirman Sena, two provincial power houses, reports said.

The issue has placed the Sena and the BJP, partners in the Maharashtra government, in a political stand-off.

The ban has been ordered by Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation, controlled by the BJP,  in view of a Jain festival and fast.

The order  said the slaughter and sale of meat in Mumbai would be prohibited on four days - September 17 to 20.

The Shiv Sena says there must be no ban at all. "We will ensure there is no ban on sale of meat for the eight days," Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said on Wednesday.

Earlier , the MNS had said it will gather at a Dadar market in Mumbai to sell meat.

The opposition parties as well as the Shiv Sena have alleged a political move by the BJP to appease the Jain community in Mumbai, with an eye on elections to the civic body in 2017.


Meanwhile, The Bombay Mutton Dealers’ Association has challenged the four-day ban  in the Bombay High Court, saying the decision is  unconstitutional and it favours a small percentage of people. The Association says the ban also goes against the secular fabric of the Constitution.