During the festival of Navratri, Gau Raksha Hindu Dal has started its campaign to close down meat shops in Greater Noida.

Members of the religious group on Thursday and Friday issued instructions to dhabas and shops in Greater Noida West to remove chicken and mutton dishes from their menu during Navratri or face the consequences.

At least 12 teams of the Gau Raksha Hindu Dal on Friday removed non-vegetarian dishes from dhabas in Greater Noida west, Gaur City and surrounding areas. The group also released an audio of their campaign and claimed that more than 12 teams of Gau Rakshaks have closed shops serving non-vegetarian food in Noida and Ghaziabad. On Friday, they said their teams will reach the spot and close down shops if they receive information about the sale of non-vegetarian food in dhabas.

"Navaratri is a sacred occasion for Hindus, and serving non-vegetarian food may hurt religious sentiments. Hence we are making sure that all non-vegetarian serving restaurants are closed," said Ved Nagar, a member of the group.

Keeping the situation in mind, the district administration has imposed Section 144 of CrPC in the district since Wednesday.

Earlier this week, the Gau Raksha Hindu Dal had demanded that the district administration issue an order for slaughterhouses to remain closed during Navratri.

During the Kanwar Yatra earlier this year, the group had closed down shops in the Dadri area.

"Such kind of acts will not be tolerated. If anyone takes the law into their own hands, strict action will be initiated against them," said a senior police officer.