Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has vowed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government would shut down illegal slaughter houses but wouldn't touch the licensed ones that don't violate the law.

Adityanath – delivering his first public speech in Gorakhpur, his Lok Sabha constituency after taking over as the Chief Minister – said: “the government will not touch those (abattoirs) that are operating as per the law and have a valid licence."

The Chief Minister said that his government was just following the orders of National Green Tribunal (NGT) in this regard. "NGT has been asking for dealing with unhygienic conditions and filth in the state. Those butcher houses that are illegal and spread filth on roads and pollution in the environment will be closed," he said.

The BJP manifesto had pledged to crack down on illegal abattoirs that have been operating across the state, and ban large, mechanised abattoirs. Most of the mechanised abattoirs were set up for export of buffalo meat.