Members of a Hindu nationalist group had forced several abattoirs in the Indian state of Maharashtra to shut after a law was passed last week banning the beef trade there, a leader of the group and a lawyer for meat traders said yesterday.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) acted after winning a court order to stop the killing of bulls and bullocks.
The state had said it could take a week to implement the law, prompting the VHP to petition the court on Tuesday for an immediate ban.
“Why wait for another 5 to 6 days?” VHP secretary Vyankatesh Abdeo said.
Meat centres across the state had stopped operating, Sagheer Khan, a lawyer for All Maharashtra Cattle Merchant Association, said.
Reuters