UP Elections: Mathura Meat Sellers Allege Discriminatory Policy Behind Meat and Liquor Ban

Dareshi Road, Mathura: Anees Qureshi, 44, is a father of three children and has been working as a butcher since his childhood. He adopted the trade from his father, grandfather and now he pushes the rickshaw cart in a bid to fend for his family of five.

Anees Qureshi welcomed the incumbent legislator from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shrikant Sharma, a few days ago by garlanding him while the former campaigned in his constituency for the votes.

Over a dozen butchers belonging to the same area, while welcoming the minister, requested him to intervene and get their trade started to which the Shrikant Sharma replied that he would see what could be done.

The meat shops are still shuttered, and their owners either sit there discussing politics and other matters with their friends or discuss switching the trade to run their households.

Anees Qureshi has dried up all his savings because his shop has been shut since September 12, 2021, and now he has a loan of about Rs 12,000, which he took from his relatives and friends.

The government of Uttar Pradesh had on September 12 last year prohibited the sale of meat and liquor in 22 wards of Mathura city, which is also considered the birthplace of Lord Krishna.

Soon after the order was released by the Department of Food and Drugs Administration, the police swung into action and asked every meat seller to shut their businesses, Anees Qureshi added.

“We were not given any notice or early warning. The police came one evening and ordered us to close. We followed what the police said and have been following it till today. Now even the electricity connection of my shop has been cut because I could not pay the bill owing to no income,” he says, adding, “Earlier I could earn up to Rs 1,000/day and now the income has fallen to Rs 50 or Rs 100/day. Running the house has become very difficult for all the butchers because they are not skilled enough to do any other work.”

On Wednesday, February 2, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate SK Sharma along with about two dozen of his supporters, reached the area to campaign for votes at the Dareshi road. The BSP candidate received the request from the butchers to get their trade started to which the candidate said ‘nothing’.

According to a rough figure provided by an officer in Mathura, about 18 licensed shops of butchers and a few restaurants falling in the territory of the birthplace of Lord Krishna were shut. However, the administration failed to shut down the liquor shops situated about 100 meters from the Dareshi road, alleges Munna Qureshi, one of the butchers.

Munna Qureshi, 60, alleged that the liquor licence is held by a person belonging to the Jat community, so the administration never took any action against them.

“I am a father to four children, and now I do not have any employment to feed my children. We had asked the police and administration to help us relocate, but no one ever helped us. We tried to relocate but failed. I do not know what I am going to do. I might end up riding a pedal rickshaw. I cannot beg; I have to feed my family. This is a very discriminatory action because you can see that liquor shop is open.”

The father of four further tells NewsClick that the butchers of the area have collectively approached the Allahabad High Court for lifting this prohibition because it has stripped them of their only means of livelihood.

“Law should be one for everyone. The meat shops are closed, but the liquor shop is open because the licence holder is from the Hindu community. We do not have any problem with it because the people of Mathura have been living in great communal harmony. The meat sellers have been keeping their shops shut eight days before and a few days after the festival of Janmashtami because we also believe in the holiness of this city. The government and administration should understand our problem,” he said.

He further says, “We have heard that the government may help us in switching the trade and we can go in the grocery, milk or any other business, but we do not have enough capital to start it, and we also do not know the bits of pieces of any other trade.”

The butcher says that the government has been providing them with ration kits, but that is not enough to survive.

“Nothing happens in just five kilograms of rations. Besides oil, dal, and flour, we need milk, sugar, spices, and other things to survive. We are living under debts due to this policy of the government,” he says.

Meanwhile, the petition of the butchers is with the Allahabad High Court, and they declined to comment on the issue, saying it may hamper their legal battle. The district administration did not reply to the reporter.

“I had thought that I would be the last person of my generation to do this and would give the best of education to my children, make them successful in their lives, but now it looks like they will also have to settle for a daily wage job like me,” he said.