Srinagar, July 17, 2021 (PPI-OT):After fearing backlash from religious bodies and general population of Muslim-majority in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Indian government revoked the ban it had imposed on sacrificing of bovines on Eid-ul-Azha the other day.

The Indian authorities on Friday ordered a crackdown on the religious sacrifice of animals in Kashmir, appearing to invite tensions in the Muslim-majority region days before one of Islam’s biggest religious festival.

The directive to the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir came less than a week before Muslims mark Eid-ul-Azha by offering prayers and slaughtering animals.

Principal Secretary Animal and Sheep Husbandry, Naveen Kumar Choudhary clarified that no ban has been imposed on sacrificing of bovines on Eid-ul-Azha while stating that slaughtering should be done as per animal laws. He, however, said that there should be no illegal transportation of bovines and slaughtering of animals on the road, which will be acted upon. Naveen also said that the advisory is not just for IIOJK but also for entire India.

“Delhi is interfering in our religion,” Bashir Ahmad Thoker, who lives in the northern Baramulla district of Kashmir, told media. “Sacrificing animals is mandatory for Muslims on Eid, but Delhi wants to implement a Hindu nationalist agenda in Kashmir.”

Abdul Razaq, from Srinagar, said, “We would prefer to die defending our religion, rather than accept this diktat.”

Political analysts and experts believe that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wanted to inflame Muslim violence to bring out the Hindu vote in upcoming elections.

They said banning the sacrifice of animals on Eid-ul-Azha is a message that neither the sentiments nor the religious freedoms of the Muslim community in IIOJK matter.

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