'BJP punishing Muslims': UP's crackdown has meat industry panicked, scared

Crack down on meat industry played up to Adityanath's hardline Hindutva image

Sixty-five year old Mohammad Moazzam has an interesting theory about the unintended effects of the crackdown on meat in Uttar Pradesh. “The day all meat eaters stop eating meat and attack vegetables, the price of bhindi [ladies’ finger] will shoot up to Rs 400 a kilo. Then we will see,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes as the gathering behind him broke out into laughter.

Behind Moazzam’s bravado and humour, however, is a tale of quiet desperation. He and his family own a goat meat shop in Agra’s Nai Ki Mandi that has been shut for the past