Uttar Pradesh meat sellers go on indefinite strike against Yogi Adityanath govt’s crackdown on slaughterhouses

Meat sellers across Uttar Pradesh have begun an indefinite strike starting today. The meat sellers are protesting against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses.

Edited By: Pragati Ratti Sharma

Updated: March 27, 2017, 11:39 AM IST

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https://www.india.com/news/india/uttar-pradesh-meat-sellers-go-on-indefinite-strike-against-yogi-adityanath-govts-crackdown-on-slaughterhouses-1964841/ Copy

Meat shop shut in Aminabad (ANI)

Lucknow, March 26: Meat sellers across Uttar Pradesh have begun an indefinite strike starting today. The meat sellers are protesting against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses. The strike is indefinite and is likely to lead to a meat crisis across the state. It is also being reported that fish sellers, too, may be joining the strike, deepening the crisis, affecting not just shops, but also restaurants.

“We have decided to intensify our strike from tomorrow. All shops will remain closed. Fish sellers too have joined us and are extending support to us,” Lucknow Bakra Gosht Vyapar Mandal office bearer Mubeen Qureshi said as quoted by PTI. He said that there was no question of the strike being called off any time soon. “It will go on indefinitely,” he said. “The meat sellers are piqued over the crackdown on slaughter houses which has adversely hit the livelihood of lakhs of people,” Qureshi said.

According to ANI, the chicken and mutton Mandi Committee in Lucknow has also asked the meat traders to shut their restaurants and hotels, claiming that under the guise of closure of illegal slaughter house, the Yogi government was pestering the small businessmen. The committee said that the strike would be continued and shops would remain closed if the government does not chalk out any alternative arrangements. (Also Read: Moradabad family seeks police permission for serving beef at function, gets approval only for chicken)

There had been reports of how famous eateries like Tunday Kebabs in Lucknow had to shut the beef kebabs business and had to make do with just chicken and mutton kebabs, hitting the business badly. With the meat and fish sellers going on an indefinite strike, this is likely to affect the non-vegetarian food business across Uttar Pradesh. “When meat is not available how can we make kebabs? People still come, but go back disappointed,” said Marrat, a worker at Lucknow’s Tunday Kababi as quoted by ANI.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on March 22 directed all police officials to prepare an action plan to shut illegal slaughterhouses. Adityanath has said that the legal shops will not be touched. However, according to some reports on TV channel CNN-News18, meat sellers have claimed that even authorised shops are being targeted. They also say that the licences pending for renewal are not being renewed by the Adityanath administration.

With both parties refusing to budge, it remains to be seen how the meat industry of Uttar Pradesh goes forward.

Meat sellers shut their shops in protest against Uttar Pradesh Government’s crackdown; visuals from Aminabad pic.twitter.com/VwlNTxVLfH

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 27, 2017

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government continues to maintain that the crackdown is only on illegal slaughterhouses. “Action is being taken against illegal slaughterhouses only, legal slaughterhouses should continue to follow regulations. No orders have been given by the government to close down shops selling chicken and eggs. Do not believe the news of it going around on social media,” said UP minister Siddharth Nath Singh.