Rampurhat municipality has ordered several meat shops along a Chhath Puja procession route to remain shut on Sunday and Monday until 10am, while directing shops to keep slaughtered meat covered on other days. The civic body has warned that violations will invite legal action.
Three shops served notices are located between Rampurhat sub-divisional court and Gandhi Park, a route used by Chhath devotees. The order is described by the municipality as a first-of-its-kind decision in Bengal and has triggered criticism from opposition parties, as well as concern among local meat sellers over the loss of their busiest trading period.
The notice says the shops must remain closed during the specified period and that slaughtered animals sold on the remaining days must be kept covered with red salu cloth. The municipality has also indicated that shops may use a dark glass cover. The directions apply to outlets located along the route identified by the civic body.
Rampurhat Municipality chairperson Soumen Bhakat said the decision followed inputs from the local Chhath Puja committee. He said the route is used by devotees and that blood-stained water or blood is sometimes spilled on the road, affecting religious sentiments and stirring emotions. Bhakat also referred to schoolchildren who commute through the area.
The order has an immediate commercial impact on traders. One meat seller said Sunday is the shop’s busiest day and that the business supplies restaurants as well as regular customers. The seller said the municipality could have asked shops to operate behind screens or keep their shutters down only when processions passed, but added that traders would comply because the administration had issued the order.
The decision has also opened a political dispute over the extent of municipal authority in regulating commercial activity and managing public religious events. Former Rampurhat MLA and Congress general secretary Milton Rashid alleged that the order was intended to appease the BJP and accused the administration of diverting attention from public issues. His claims were political allegations and were not independently established in the supplied report.
CPM district secretary Gautam Ghosh similarly accused the authorities of exploiting religious emotions while neglecting fundamental problems. Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the party opposed government edicts on personal choices, arguing that the administration should facilitate pujas rather than dictate what people eat.
Rampurhat BJP MLA Dhruba Saha defended the closure as a measure respecting the sentiments of Chhath devotees. Bengal BJP chief spokesperson Debjit Sarkar also rejected the criticism and said opponents could approach the courts if they considered the order unacceptable.
The municipality’s notice places the immediate responsibility for compliance on the affected shops and warns of legal action for violations. The order’s stated closure period runs through Monday morning, while the covering requirement applies to the remaining days.
