Slaughterhouses, Meat Shops Asked To Remain Shut As UP Enforces 'No Non-Veg Day'

The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has declared Saturday a 'No Non-Veg Day' to commemorate Sadhu Thanwardas Lilaram Vaswani's birthday anniversary.

Slaughterhouses and meat shops were asked to be shut for the day.

The Uttar Pradesh government declared November 25 a ‘No Non-Veg Day’ on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Sadhu Thanwardas Lilaram Vaswani and ordered all slaughterhouses and meat shops to remain closed in honour of the Sadhu who advocated a vegetarian lifestyle.

According to news agency PTI, the UP government in a circular said, "Instructions have been issued from time to time to keep the slaughterhouses and meat shops located in all the local bodies of the state closed on the great festivals of Jayanti, Gandhi Jayanti, Sadhu TL Vaswani and Shivratri. Likewise, the decision to declare November 25, 2023, the birthday of Sadhu T.L. Vaswani, as a meat-free day and to keep the slaughterhouses and meat shops located in all the urban local bodies of the state closed, has been taken".

"Please ensure strict compliance of the orders in all the urban local bodies," the circular added.

Sadhu Thanwardas Lilaram Vaswani 

Sadhu Thanwardas Lilaram Vaswani, an educator and founder of the Mira Movement, was born on November 25, 1879, as per The Times Of India. The Sadhu Vaswani Mission, dedicated to carrying forward his life and teachings, commemorates International Meatless Day on Vaswani's birthday, November 25, due to his staunch advocacy for a universally adopted vegetarian lifestyle. He was instrumental in establishing St. Mira's School in Hyderabad, Sindh, before relocating to Pune in 1949. In honour of his life and teachings, the Darshan Museum, a museum dedicated to him, was inaugurated in Pune in 2011.

Ban On Halal 

The latest announcement comes amidst the ongoing debate surrounding the "halal ban". The Yogi Adityanath government recently took a firm stand against the "unauthorised" issuance of 'Halal Certificates' and issued an order prohibiting the production, storage, distribution, and sale of food items bearing the halal certification.

This was widely criticised by the opposition government. Samajwadi Party government chief Akhilesh Yadav strongly criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party for prohibiting Halal products, accusing them of creating a rift between communities.

Yadav said that the BJP consistently engages in actions that fuel hatred and division. Instead of addressing fundamental issues like unemployment and rising prices, they divert attention to other topics. “This is their strategy to create a rift between communities. The people understand that all of this is happening under a conspiracy," Yadav said as per ANI. 

Meanwhile, BJP leader Giriraj Singh thanked UP CM Yogi Adityanath for initiating an investigation into 'Halal Products'.