*Dr Ved Pratap Vaidik
A recent notification from the two municipal corporations of Delhi, prohibiting sale of meet during Navarati, does not sound reasonable by any standards. The basis cited for the banning of meat sale is that the sight of animal flesh hanging in the meat shops is painful for the devotees fasting during the Navaratri days. Not just that, the sight of meat displayed in the shops could upset the minds of the devotees, the notification says.
Similar demands are being made to the state governments of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. I really appreciate the situation where there are no meat shops in India and Indians across the globe voluntarily renounce eating meat, but at the same time I would not welcome meat shops being forcefully closed down on the pretext of Navratri. Attempts for compulsory closure of meat shops on Hindu festivals have a putrid scent of communalism.
Wouldn’t the demand of Muslims that all restaurants in the country should be closed during the day time in the month of Ramzan be considered grossly communal? The number of non-vegetarian Hindus in India could be three times or even more, compared to the non-vegetarian Muslims in the country. Both the Hindus and Muslims have meet shops and if they are compelled to close their business for 8-10 days, will the Municipal Corporations or the government compensate the losses incurred? If they cannot compensate, how the government can permit the authorities to hinder at will and close down the earning sources of citizens? This is nothing short of blatant violation of the fundamental rights enshrined in our Constitution. If the government dares to proceed with punitive steps against those defying such arbitrary orders, the aggrieved will seek judicial remedy and the courts would set aside such absurd orders.
There are two types of responses to such orders. One is, the meat-sellers might close their shops out of fear and if they do not close, the self-styled Hindutwa brigade could vandalize these shops. Any such upheavals could lead to communal conflagrations.
Now, will the government of the day brazenly decide on what citizens should eat, wear, or think? No government should intervene in such matters. If you want to witness how terrible and gruesome the scenes of open sale of meat are, then go to countries like Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. There fully skinned carcass of horses, camels and cows are hung in open. Meat markets are so stinking that one has to tightly close his nose while passing through. Eating meat is neither beneficial to health nor ethically desirable. Meat consumption has to be curbed through persuasion and not through enforcement of any law. I always ask my Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh and Jewish friends; tell me, where it is inscribed in your holy scriptures that if you do not eat meat, you will be treat as an inferior believer?
Not one among my millions of acquaintances in many Muslim countries and in India has quit eating meat for fear of the law. But I know, thousands from various religions who have given up eating meat, thanks to the affectionate advices from near and dear.
*Dr. Vaidik is a widely travelled scholar-journalist. He has visited more than 80 countries on diplomatic and educationalmissions. Dr. Vaidik has won more than a dozen National and International awards for academic and journalistic excellence. He has been a member of several Advisory Committees of Government of India.
