Three mutton shops were vandalised and burnt by unidentified mob on Tuesday night in Hathras town of Uttar Pradesh, police officials said. The vandalised shops which are located at Jalesar road falling under Hathras Kotwali police station, are owned by Muslim community.

The meat shops belonged to Quraishi community which is traditionally involved in the meat trade.

According to Hathras Superintendent of Police Dilip Kumar there was no witness to the burning of the shops.

Police has registered a case under relevant sections of the IPC, Mr. Kumar told The Hindu.

The vandalism of the meat shop came hours after Hathras police raided local meat market and also those in Sahabad and Sahpau to check if the meat shops were selling meat in open market without license from the local civic body.

Police sealed many meat shops when the shop owners could not furnish the license.  Immediately after taking oath Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath warned the State police that local police officers will be made accountable if illegal meat shops and slaughter houses are found to be functioning.

Riding a strong anti-meat sentiment, the BJP had promised in its manifesto to shut all mechanised slaughter houses immediately after forming government. Several slaughter houses running illegally in the State, were closed down in last two days. Police, on its part, increased vigil across the state to prevent illegal slaughter of cows and buffalos. The attack on Hathras is first incident of mob witch hunting of meat traders.

Earlier, Hindutva groups in the State, kept the anti-meat sentiments running in the public discourse while accusing the slaughter houses to kill cows illegally.

A riot accused BJP MLA from Sardhana in Meerut Sangeet Som, also a headliner Hindutva leader, was in the past a director in beef export companies, as reported by The Hindu.

Legally the State government cannot shut the slaughter houses which are functioning with required permission of the local municipal corporations.

To prevent the legal slaughter houses from functioning the State government will have to amend the municipal act by bringing in a fresh legislation or amending the existing law guiding the municipal bodies.http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/meat-shops-burnt-vandalised-in-hathras/article17574402.ece