As part of the Jain festival Paryushan Parv, the Haryana government has urged all slaughterhouses across the state to suspend meat sales from August 20 to August 28. In a letter addressed to municipal commissioners and district officials, the Directorate of Urban Local Bodies has directed the closure of all slaughterhouses for this nine-day period.

An official stated that the appeal aligns with the Jain philosophy of non-violence (ahimsa) and is intended to show respect for religious sentiments during the festival.

ALSO READ: Bihar News: Patna-Purnia Expressway Declared National Expressway; To Cut Travel Time To 3 Hours | Check Route, Key Areas, Other Details

The letter issued by Kanwar Singh, Haryana Civil Services Officer, on behalf of the Director General Urban Local Bodies, dated August 18, stated, “During this year, Paryushan Parav (Jain festival) is being celebrated from August 20 till August 28th. I have been directed by the competent authority to request you to issue an appeal to all the slaughter houses falling within the municipal limits to follow a vegetarian way of life during the Paryushan Parv (Jain festival), i.e. from August 20 till August 28”.

The letter was issued following directions from the Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary to the Haryana Government, in accordance with the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order dated August 17, 2010, in Civil Writ Petition No. 14565 of 2010.

As per the 2011 Census, Jains make up around 0.22 percent of Haryana’s total population, with most members of the community residing in urban centres such as Hisar, Rohtak, Gurugram, Panipat, Faridabad, and Ambala. During Paryushan Parv, a significant religious observance, Jains undertake a nine-day fast focused on self-purification and non-violence.

Government officials clarified that the directive to slaughterhouses is an appeal rather than an enforceable order, and thus not legally binding.

ALSO READ: Delhi-Bikaner Vande Bharat Express To Be Launched Soon, 9th For Rajasthan | Check Features, Routes

“There was a controversy in 2015 when it was perceived that the government had issued a binding order on the slaughterhouses to forcibly shut down their operations. But, it was not the case. It is only an appeal that the government has issued to these slaughterhouses,” an officer said, according to the Indian Express report.