Muslim body to request Bombay HC for relaxation of beef ban during Bakri Eid

It’s been over six months since the Maharashtra government banned the possession and import of beef (cow and bull meat) in the state, but with Bakri Eid around the corner, a Muslim group is seeking a three-day relaxation of the rules. [caption id=“attachment_2425200” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] The Times of India reports that the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is planning to move the Bombay High Court to issue a directive to the state government to relax the ban for three days during Bakri Eid. IUML city president Parvez Lakdwala said that sacrificing animals was their religious duty and they were hoping the court would consider their plea since religious sentiments were involved. Lakdawala had told The Times of India at the end of last month that if “slaughter houses and meat shops are ordered to be closed on Mahavir Jayanti to respect the sentiments of the Jains, the government can similarly issue a notification to allow slaughter of out of (agricultural) use bulls and bullocks during Bakri Eid." Whether or not the state acquiesces to the pleas of the IUML notwithstanding, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has taken a cue from its Mira-Bhayander counterpart in going in the opposite direction. The BMC has banned animal slaughter and the sale of buffalo and goat meat in Mumbai for four days — 10, 13, 17 and 18 September — during the Jain fasting period of Paryushan this month. The announcement comes a few days after the Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation called for a similar ban in its jurisdiction, for the duration of eight days — from 11 to 18 September. Twitter has expectedly been abuzz since the announcements. Even as news channels are reporting that the Shiv Sena is opposing this ban, the DNA report states that the ruling party in the state has endorsed the ban with BJP legislators Raj Purohit and Atul Bhatkhalkar writing to the BMC commissioner backing the demand from Jain organisations.