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Meat, fish and eggs banned in Madhya Pradesh’s Maihar and Umaria during Navratri

Sale of meat, fish, eggs banned by district authorities from September 22 to October 2.

2 min readBhopalSep 23, 2025 08:20 AM IST

Navratri: Sale of eggs, meat, fish banned in MP’s Maihar, Umaria

Other districts of Madhya Pradesh, like Bhopal and Indore, have also in the past issued orders to close meat shops during religious festivals.

District authorities have banned the sale of meat, eggs and fish in Madhya Pradesh’s Maihar and Umaria for the period of the Navratri festival.

Maihar is home to the Maa Sharda temple, which is visited by lakhs of devotees during Navratri, officials said. “Maihar is a religious city and Navratri begins at this time, so the administration is banning the sale of meat, fish and eggs from September 22 to October 2,” said SDM Divya Patel.

She pointed out that Maihar was declared a religious city by the state government. “The Maa Shardey Kwar Navratri fair will be conducted in Maihar from September 22 to October 2. Maihar has been declared a religious city by the Tourism Department of the Madhya Pradesh government, and lakhs of visitors filled with devotion come to Maihar from every corner of the country for Maa Sharda’s darshan,” she said.

Patel issued the order to ban the sale of meat, fish and eggs on September 20. It was issued under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, which grants the power to issue immediate preventive orders in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger. Those violating the provisions are liable to be prosecuted under section 233 of the BNSS, which carries a punishment of six months’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2,500.

In Umaria, SDM Kamlesh Neeraj said the ban on non-vegetarian food was taken after discussions with members of different communities.

“We had a meeting with the members of different religious communities. In this meeting, participants made the decision to ban the consumption of non-vegetarian food, like chicken, eggs and fish, considering the fact that the Navratri festival is underway,” the SDM said.

For Maihar, this is not the first time the temple town has banned the sale of non-vegetarian items. In March this year, local authorities had banned the sale of non-vegetarian food, citing the massive influx of devotees during the ‘Maa Shardey Chaitra Navratri Fair’.

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Other districts of Madhya Pradesh, like Bhopal and Indore, have also in the past issued orders to close meat shops during religious festivals, like Ram Navami, Mahavir Jayanti, and Buddha Purnima.

Anand Mohan J

Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy. Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free. Expertise and Reporting Beats Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors: National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres. Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA). Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking. Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers. Professional Background Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017. Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh. Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs. Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife. Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance. Digital & Professional Presence Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More

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