The restrictions on meat in Uttar Pradesh became a bone of contention at a wedding ceremony in Muzaffarnagar, PTI reported on Thursday. The groom called off the ceremony at the eleventh hour after the bride’s family said they may not be able serve non-vegetarian food on account of the restricted availability of meat.
The bride’s family registered a complaint at the Bhopal police station accusing the groom of pressurising them to serve non-vegetarian fare even after they had told him that the crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses may lead to a change in plans. “Rizwan’s family has been consistently pressurising me to serve them a non-vegetarian dish of their choice. Buffalo meat is not [easily] available because of which I have been telling them that I will not be able to fulfil their demand,” the complainant said.
While the village panchayat managed to intervene and resolve the dispute, the bride chose to marry another man as he had agreed to marry her without demanding any non-meat dishes at the wedding or a dowry, the news agency said.
Soon after his appointment as chief minister, Adityanath had imposed a ban on the slaughter of cow, bullock and ox, and prohibited the storage or consumption of beef. Buffaloes are exempt from the law. The Bharatiya Janata Partt leader had also directed the state police to begin closing down illegal slaughterhouses.
Cow protection and calls for a ban on slaughter of the animal have come to the forefront of local and national politics over the last few years. Right-wing groups have been demanding a complete ban on cow slaughter and the transport of beef, with a growing number of reports of violence against those found transporting cattle.
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