Chhattisgarh has become the fourth state to enforce a meat ban that has fueled outrage in Mumbai and parts of Rajasthan.In an order last evening, the BJP-ruled state banned the slaughter and sale of meat till September 17 for the Jain festival of fasting, Paryushan.Chhattisgarh's announcement came on a day a similar ban in Mumbai was challenged by mutton traders and opposed by many political parties including the ruling BJP's ally Shiv Sena.Today, Mumbai's civic body cut short the ban from four to two days.Maharashtra's ruling BJP wanted the four-day ban to be extended to eight, but the idea met with strong resistance not just from opposition parties but also the party's ally Shiv Sena. The Bombay High Court said the ban was "regressive". "We understand the sentiment part but purchase is an independent choice," said the judges.A meat ban has also been enforced in Rajasthan and Gujarat, both ruled by the BJP.The Rajasthan government has prohibited the sale of meat and fish on September 17, 18 and 27 on account of various festivals, including that of the Jains.The ban has been enforced since 2008 in the state, both by the Ashok Gehlot and Vasundhara Raje governments, but this year, it has been extended by one day, which has angered some groups."It is all right to have a two-day ban, but anything beyond that is unacceptable. It affects people's livelihood... if the ban is beyond two days, people should be compensated for loss of livelihood," said Salim Engineer, a member of the Forum of Democracy and Communal Harmony.In Gujarat's Ahmedabad, Police Commissioner Shivanand Jha has ordered a ban on the slaughter of cattle like cows and goats for a week during the Jain fasting period. The state enforces the ban every year.In Jammu and Kashmir, the High Court yesterday ordered the police to strictly enforce an existing ban on the sale of beef, triggering angry reactions from residents, politicians and separatist groups.