Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
A directive from the Garhwa Municipal Council in Jharkhand asking meat, chicken, and fish shops to remain closed during Navratri has sparked debate over religious sentiment, food choices, and the limits of civic authority.
The municipal council issued notices to shopkeepers ahead of Sharadiya Navratri, citing demands from residents and puja committees to keep non-vegetarian food shops closed in areas where pandals have been set up. Several pandals in Garhwa are located along major roads and near markets.
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According to local representatives, they submitted requests to the municipal council through applications and social media before the council chairperson issued notices.
Garhwa is a border district in Jharkhand that shares a boundary with Uttar Pradesh. The municipal council’s directive has now become a subject of local debate, with questions also arising over the order’s scope and how it will be enforced.
The order has drawn criticism from Muslim leader Masoom Khan, who argued that one person or community should not decide what others eat or when they eat it.
Khan also questioned the rationale behind the directive by pointing to the presence of temples and government schools near liquor shops in the city. He alleged that the issue was being deliberately given a Hindu-Muslim angle.
However, municipal council chairperson Ashish Soni, also known as Daulat Soni, defended the decision, saying members of the Sanatan Dharma community had sought the closure during their religious festival and the council had acted on that demand.
He further questioned why demands linked to Hindu festivals were being opposed when other communities’ festivals were not similarly challenged.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
