Meat Shop Closure Appeal During Paryushan Sparks Row in Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar

An appeal issued by the Vasai-Virar and Mira-Bhayandar municipal corporations urging chicken, mutton, and fish shops to remain closed on the first and last days of the Jain community's Paryushan Parva has triggered a public controversy across the two civic jurisdictions.

Paryushan Parva commenced on Tuesday, September 8, and is scheduled to continue until September 16. Throughout this eight-day observance, members of the Jain community undertake fasts, engage in self-reflection, study religious scriptures, and participate in spiritual practices. Jain organisations have frequently sought bans on the sale of meat during this sacred period.

State-level guidelines governing the festival date back to 2019, when the Maharashtra urban development department issued directives mandating that slaughterhouses remain closed on the opening and concluding days of Paryushan. However, the recent notices from the Mira-Bhayandar and Vasai-Virar civic administrations have expanded beyond abattoirs to appeal directly to retail chicken, mutton, and fish vendors to cease trade on those two specific days.

The civic bodies' appeals have drawn sharp criticism from the Marathi Ekikaran Samiti. The organisation's president, Govardhan Deshmukh, publicly challenged the authority and intent behind the move, alleging that the municipal bodies were attempting to sow discord between local communities.

Deshmukh questioned why the local corporations had extended their request to retail meat vendors when government mandates applied strictly to abattoirs. "When the government order only directs slaughterhouses to remain closed, how can the civic bodies appeal for closure of meat shops?" he said.