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Hindu groups enforce Navratri meat ban in Gurugram

Hindu right-wing groups, claiming to be affiliated with Shiv Sena and the Bajrang Dal and the Hindu Kranti Sena, forced more than 300 meat shops, including an outlet of popular fast food chain KFC, to shut down in Sector 14 area of Gurugram on Tuesday.

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A vacant abattoir near Masjid Area in Old Gurugram.
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For Mustaqeem Qureshi, it was for the first time in his life that he was forcefully asked to close down his famous biryani shop, that too for nine consecutive days. There are many like Qureshi who are in a fix on the meat ban imposed by Hindu vigilante groups.

Hindu right-wing groups, claiming to be affiliated with Shiv Sena and the Bajrang Dal and the Hindu Kranti Sena, forced more than 300 meat shops, including an outlet of popular fast food chain KFC, to shut down in Sector 14 area of Gurugram on Tuesday. They cited Navratri as the reason.

They also demanded that Tuesday be declared a weekly closure for restaurants serving non-vegetarian food. According to meat sellers in Old Gurugram's Masjid area, a group of around 30 men armed with lathis and stones ordered the market to be closed down on Tuesday.

They later held a meeting with the pradhan (chief) of the market who was threatened with dire consequences if he does not cooperate with the directive.

Gurugram Police Commissioner Sandeep Khirwar said: "Neither the state government nor the administration has ordered the shutdown of restaurants serving non-vegetarian food. We have not received a single complaint but would take action against those found guilty."

“We have been selling non-vegetarian food for the past 50 years in this area. It is for the first time that we had to shut our shops down without our consent," said Mohammed Tahir, pradhan of the meat market near Sadar Bazar Masjid of Old Gurugram.

“Shiv Sena and other Hindu groups had previously sent letters to meat owners and the Police Commissioner to ban meat during Navratri as we do not want anyone to hurt the feelings of Hindu devotees,"said Ritu Raj, who refers himself as district media coordinator of Shiv Sena.

However, when DNA queried about the letter that was sent to restaurants, all of them denied any such notification from the Shiv Sena.

An outlet of popular food joint KFC was also targeted by the group. According to eyewitnesses, around 3 pm, some men arrived and talked to the manager and workers of the restaurant. They ordered them not to open it till the end of nine days.

A KFC worker, who does not wish to be named, said: "As a responsible corporate citizen, KFC operates in compliance with the laws of the land. We have not received any notification from the authorities on limiting operations during the Navratri or Tuesdays. We would like to remind that KFC has the highest respect for the cultural and religious beliefs of all communities and believe that consumers are free to make choices and decisions.”

On Wednesday, a day after the closure of shops was forced upon the restaurant owners, there was no meat served to customers.

A supplier of meat expressed his grief because of the shutdown. “The meat needs to be served fresh, and, since morning, no one has ordered it. It is a big loss for me.” Restaurant owners calculated their loss for two days at Rs 12,000-15,000.

Later in the afternoon, a police team went to various places and told restaurant owners to continue business without fear and assured them safety.

“What happened here is a repercussion of Uttar Pradesh. Why is it happening this time only? We have been doing this business since the past 50 years. Why is it happening now?" said 72-year-old Saifuddin Qureshi.

Shops in Bhondsi, Badshahpur and Sohna were also closed down on Wednesday.

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