Meat shops in Gurgaon back in business as Navratri ends

Many that had remained open had been forced to down their shutters by members claiming to be affiliated with the Shiv Sena and the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Kranti Dal (ABHKD) over the last 10 days.

Meat shops across Gurgaon, which had either voluntarily or were forcefully closed, due to the ongoing Navratri festival, lifted the shutters and resumed operations on Sunday, as the festival came to an end.

Although owners of meat shops said they had closed their stores as a mark of respect for the sentiments of Hindus, many that had remained open had been forced to down their shutters by members claiming to be affiliated with the Shiv Sena and the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Kranti Dal (ABHKD) over the last 10 days.

Shopkeepers said they have turned their attention towards making up for the losses.

“While a majority of my customers do not consume meat during Navratri, inadvertently, I have lost out on six days of sales after being forced to close down my operations from Monday (September 25) by ABHKD workers. I am hoping that my sales in October can make up for last month’s deficit,” Raju, a meat vendor at Sheetla Mata Road, said.

While most resumed complete operations on Sunday, some chose to open their shops for a limited period.

“With Gandhi Jayanti on Monday and it also being a dry day, I am still wary of political organisations. Hence, my operations were limited despite reopening the shop. I will gradually resume full service this week,” Arif, a meat seller in Sector 13 said.

On separate occasions, the two political organisations had shut meat shops across the city.

On September 21, ABHKD workers had closed meat shops in Sector 13 after claiming that their requests to the district administration to suspend meat sales in Gurgaon were not complied with.

The next day, a group claiming to be affiliated to the Shiv Sena closed over 500 meats shops in Surat Nagar, Ashok Vihar, sectors 5, 9 and 14, Pataudi Chowk, Jacobpura, Sadar Bazar, Khandsa, Gurgaon Bus Stand, DLF Phase-1 and Sohna. The group’s affiliation to the party was denied by the official spokesperson of Shiv Sena in Mumbai.

ABHKD workers once again closed meat shops at CRPF Chowk, Sheetla Mata Road and Gurgaon Bus Stand. No case was registered by the Gurgaon police as they claimed that ‘no complaints had been filed in the matter’.