File picture | Photo Credit: ANI

Gurugram: Citing the onset of Navaratri festival, the Shiv Sena and another Hindu organisation have reportedly forcibly shut approximately 400 meat and chicken shops at various locations in Haryana’s Gurugram on Wednesday. Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram, Vinay Pratap Singh, has vowed to take a strict action against those who tried to forcibly shut down the shops.

Talking to news agency PTI, president of Shiv Sena’s Gurugram unit, Gautam Saini, said that members of different Hindu organisations first gathered at the Lord Shiva temple located at the Old Railway road on Wednesday morning, and then headed to different places to shut meat shops.

As per locals, a group of Shiv Sena workers assembled at Palam Vihar last morning and shut down meat markets in Ashok Vihar, Sector 5 and 9, Pataudi Chowk, Jacobpura, Surat Nagar, Khandsa Anaj Mandi, Sadar Bazaar, Bus Stand, DLF area, Sohna and Sector 14.

They added that around half of the shops are already shut amid fears of clashes as such exercise is launched every year around the festival of Navratri since the BJP assumed power in 2014 at the Center and in Haryana.

State president of Hindu Sena Ritu Raj said, "The Hindu organizations will continue their effort throughout Navratri. The next target is new Gurgaon where there are a large number of meat shops."

"We have requested and served notices to every meat selling outlet to shut shop during Navaratri. This time we have not served notices to restaurants, like KFC and other chains, as them serving chicken cannot be seen in the open," Shiv Sena's Gurugram in-charge Sanjay Thakral told PTI.

The owners of the outlets selling non-vegetarian food have also been asked to shut their shops during the nine-day festival.

"We have requested every meat shop owner to close their outlets. Sixty shops have been shut. If the rest 940 shops remain open, then we will have no option but to forcefully shut them down like we did in the previous couple of years," Thakral said.

There are around 1,000 meat and chicken shops in Gurugram. When asked if the meat shops were forcibly shut, DCP (crime) Sumit Kuhar said, "We are looking into the matter. No one is authorised to take law in their hands.”

“We will not let anyone forcibly close down meat shops during Navaratri. If anyone wants to voluntarily close his shop, then it is up to him. We have directed all city SHOs to keep a watch on the situation."