Owners of 10 meat shops near Varanasi’s Vishwanath Temple booked for ‘defying orders’

The notices also pointed out to unsanitary conditions in the shops, including the open sale of meat, which caused public unrest and posed a risk of spreading infectious diseases. Additionally, the notices highlighted violations of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulations.

Three FIRs were filed at the Chowk and Dashashwamedh police stations under Sections 223 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 325 (mischief by killing or maiming animal) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on the complaint of the municipal veterinary officer, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Kashi Zone) Gaurav Banswal said.

Last year, the Municipal Corporation had unanimously passed a resolution to ban the sale of meat within a 2-kilometre radius of the temple premises. Although notices were issued to shop owners at the time, no action was taken.

The meat shop owners, on the other hand, said they were being harassed through orders to close their shops without viable alternative arrangements and that no action had been taken against liquor shops operating within a two-kilometre radius of the temple despite a resolution that explicitly prohibited liquor shops in that area.

To address this issue, a delegation of meat shop owners met with Varanasi Mayor Ashok Tiwari to seek his assistance.

The Mayor asked them to identify alternative locations for their shops and assured them that the MC would allocate them space accordingly.

The delegation is scheduled to meet the Mayor next week again on the issue.

The MC notices had instructed the meat shop owners to immediately close their establishments and notify the department concerned, warning that further action would be taken if they did not comply. The shop owners claimed that, despite applying for renewal, their licences had not been renewed since 2017-18.