Protesters hold up roosters, chickens to oppose meat ban by Thane civic body

Members of many Opposition parties, meat sellers’ associations and community groups on Friday, 15 August, protested outside the headquarters of the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) in Thane district to oppose the civic body’s meat ban.

Holding live roosters and chickens, they raised slogans to slam the local civic body’s order to close meat shops and abattoirson Independence Day.

Workers from the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) were among those who took part in the demonstration outside the KDMC head office in the Kalyan area.

The KDMC recently issued an order stating that all slaughterhouses and licensed butchers of goats, sheep, chickens, and large animals must remain closed for 24 hours from midnight of 14 August until midnight of 15 August. It warned of action under the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, 1949, if the order was violated.

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Municipal commissioner Abhinav Goyal said their decision was as per a government order, and “nothing new” was being introduced.

Since early this morning, heavy security had been deployed between Shivaji Chowk and Shankarrao Chowk in Kalyan, deputy commissioner of police Atul Zende said. Before the main protest began, police also detained several demonstrators as a preventive measure.

Congress district president Sachin Pote, who was among the protesters, told reporters, “A rooster wakes people up in the morning. Today, we brought roosters to wake up the administration.”

In Maharashtra, municipal corporations of Nagpur, Nashik, Malegaon and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar too have issued similar orders, leading to a controversy and raising issues related to personal freedom.

Opposition parties have also criticised the move, while the BJP has argued that the policy of keeping abattoirs shut on Independence Day was first implemented in 1988 when NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar was chief minister, and sought to know if the Opposition would question the veteran politician about it.

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