Bengaluru civic body bans sale of meat on Ramanavami

Ahead of prominent Hindu festival Rama Navami, Bengaluru’s civic agency, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), on Tuesday imposed a blanket ban on sale of meat within its administrative limits.

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This year, Rama Navami falls on Thursday, and it marks the birth of Lord Ram, who is known to be the seventh avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu. Rama Navami usually falls on the ninth day of the Shukla Paksha in the Chaitra month. It also falls on the last day of the Chaitra Navratri, which ran from March 22 to 30 this year.

The BBMP has been known to issue similar orders banning sale of meat during several festivals and holidays in Bengaluru. Whenever such orders are imposed, slaughter houses and butcher shops have remained closed, for instance – on the occasion of Janmashtami last year.

READ | Hindu group demands ban on halal meat ahead of Ugadi

The BBMP has announced such rules on several occasions, such as Basava Jayanti, Maha Shivratri, Gandhi Jayanti, Sarvodaya Day and other religious events. A BBMP official had even told Hindustan Times that there is a blanket ban on sale of meat at least eight days a year on various occasions.

Karnataka had witnessed a row over halal versus jhatka meat in August last year. The two differ in the way the animal is slaughtered. The halal meat is preferred by the Muslim community; however, some say it’s the more torturous method for the slaughter of the two.