Orders from several civic bodies mandating the closure of meat shops and slaughterhouses on Independence Day have ignited a political controversy, with opposition parties decrying the move as an infringement on personal freedom and dietary choices.
The Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) in Thane district, near Mumbai, issued a directive mandating the closure of all meat shops on August 15. The restriction applies to all licensed butchers dealing in goats, sheep, chicken, and large animals and remains in force from midnight on August 14. The civic body has warned of action under the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, 1949, if any animal is slaughtered or meat is sold during the specified period. KDMC Deputy Commissioner (Licenses) Kanchan Gaikwad stated that such an order has been issued every year since 1988 as part of a civic resolution. Gaikwad emphasized that the move was in keeping with long-standing administrative resolutions to ensure public order and the observance of important national occasions. Additional Commissioner Yogesh Godse clarified that the ban is on the sale of meat, not on eating it.
However, the opposition has reacted sharply. NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad has announced he would host a mutton party on August 15 to assert "freedom" of food preferences. Awhad stated, "On the day we got freedom, you are taking away our freedom to eat what we want". He also posted on X, "This is too much. Who are you to decide what people will eat and when?". Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has demanded the suspension of the KDMC commissioner for dictating people's food choices. He questioned the authority of the commissioner to tell people whether they can eat non-vegetarian food or not and suggested that municipal corporations would rather focus on issues such as potholes on roads. Bhiwandi MP and NCP (SP) leader Suresh Mhatre has also strongly opposed the restriction, calling it an infringement on people's traditional food habits.
Similar directives have been issued by other municipal bodies in Maharashtra, including the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation. The NMC announced that all slaughterhouses and meat shops within city limits would remain closed on Independence Day and Janmashtami. The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation has announced the closure of slaughterhouses, outlets, and shops selling meat within city limits on August 15 and 20. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has criticized the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) for ordering the closure of meat shops and slaughterhouses on Independence Day and Janmashtami. Owaisi termed the orders callous and unconstitutional, arguing that they violate people's right to liberty, privacy, livelihood, culture, nutrition, and religion.
Even Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has expressed his disapproval of such bans. He stated that it is wrong to impose such bans, especially in major cities where people of different castes and religions reside.
Vishwanath Bhoir, the Kalyan (West) MLA from the ruling Shiv Sena, defended the decision, arguing that being vegetarian for one day should not be an issue. However, the opposition remains firm in its stance, asserting that the bans infringe upon the fundamental freedom of people and their right to choose what they eat.
