Non-veg foods banned in Madhya Pradesh’s Maihar for Navratri; Bhopal, Indore issue similar orders for 4 festivals

Bhopal: The authorities have banned all non-vegetarian foods in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh’s Maihar town during the nine-day Navratri festival beginning Sunday.

Maihar is home to revered Maa Sharda Mandir, a Shaktipeeth for Hindus. Tens of thousands of devotees visit the town during the annual nine-day ‘Maa Shardey Chaitra Navrati Fair’.

Besides, meat shops in Bhopal and Indore will remain closed on the festivals of Chaiti Chand (March 30), Ram Navami (April 6), Mahavir Jayanti (April 10), and Buddha Purnima (May 12), said civic officials.

To enforce the ban in the two cities, municipal authorities have warned that shops will even face cancellation of their licence if they flout the orders.

Earlier, several BJP lawmakers, including former party whip in Lok Sabha and MP Public Works Department minister Rakesh Singh, had demanded that meat shops in the state be ordered to remain shut during Navratri.

Meanwhile, the government has already announced that liquor shops will be closed permanently in 17 holy towns, including Maihar, across the state from April 1.