Mewat, Sep 14: It is 7 in the morning and the devout of Ghasera village, off the Gurgaon-Alwar road, wait to enter the Eidgah, one of the largest mosques in these parts, to offer prayers.
But on Eid-ul-Adha or Bakrid, a festival marked by prayers and feasting, the mood is far from festive as the conversation inevitably veers around to the beef biryani' controversy in Mewat, a largely Muslim district in Haryana.
The near consensus among the residents here is that the fuss over biryani was cooked up to deflect the attention from the recent gang-rape in Mewat of two women, whose two male relatives were also murdered by the attackers.
“This controversy over beef in biryani is nothing but an attempt by the BJP government to hush up the murders and gang-rape of two sisters. We cannot forget the incident easily, but we have chosen to keep quiet,” said 50-year-old Ali Mohammad, his view endorsed by fellow villagers.
The immediate fallout of the controversy is that prices of sacrificial animals have gone up significantly, rendering them out of reach for most.
“Prices have gone up at least Rs.7,000-8,000 per animal, making it out of reach for the poor,” said Hazi Akbar, a middle-aged driver.
Ismail, whose family is engaged in the meat business for generations, said five of their trucks carrying goats and buffaloes were caught by gau rakshaks .
“Ever since the BJP government came to power, the terror of gau rakshaks and the police have hit the meat business in the region hard. Even those carrying goats and buffaloes and with valid documents are not spared,” he said.
Mewat Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Singh Yadav, however, denied knowledge of gau rakshaks or the police targeting animal traders. He also denied people being arrested for possessing animals.
Meanwhile, Mewat Vikas Sabha national president Umar Mohammad warned that a mahapanchayat would be held in Nuh on September 15 to decide on the future course of action if the government failed to withdraw its orders on collection of beef samples.
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