Independence Day 2025: These cities won't allow meat sales today - See full list

In Kalyan-Dombivli, municipal authorities have ordered a complete shutdown of licensed slaughterhouses and meat shops

Several municipal corporations across India have announced that slaughterhouses and meat shops will remain closed on Independence Day, sparking criticism from Opposition leaders and sections of the public.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, whose Nationalist Congress Party is in alliance with the BJP, said he did not agree with enforcing such restrictions, especially on national, non-religious occasions.

“In large cities, people from diverse castes and religions live together. If there’s an emotional or religious reason, people usually accept it for a day. But imposing such bans on Maharashtra Day, Independence Day, and Republic Day is hard to justify,” he remarked.

In Kalyan-Dombivli, municipal authorities have ordered a complete shutdown of licensed slaughterhouses and meat shops—covering goat, sheep, chicken, and other large animal butchery—from midnight on August 14 until midnight on August 15. Similar one-day closures have also been mandated in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Malegaon, and Nagpur.

Meanwhile, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has extended the closure order to cover both Independence Day and Janmashtami on August 16 in Hyderabad. The Telangana High Court, earlier this week, asked the GHMC to clarify its decision. AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi strongly opposed the move, calling it “unconstitutional” and an infringement on citizens’ rights to liberty, culture, nutrition, and religious practice.

In Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray called for the suspension of the Kalyan-Dombivli civic chief, arguing in favor of protecting “the right to choose what to eat.” BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban countered criticism by pointing out that the practice was not new, referring to a 1988 government resolution requiring such closures on days including Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti, Mahavir Jayanti, and Ram Navami.