Can’t prevent harassment: Patil

Home minister R.R. Patil expressed his inability to redress the complaints of slaughterhouse owners allegedly being harassed by right-wing organisations while transporting animals for sacrificing during the festival of Bakra-id. The home minister was attending the chief minister’s high level meeting, which was also attended by the minority affairs minister Arif Naseem Khan, Muslim MLAs from the city, representatives of NGOs and other senior officers from various departments. Slaughterhouse owners’ representatives told the chief minister and home minister that right-wing organisations harassed them while transporting animals. They alleged that activists of these organisations stop as well as check their vehicles, sources said. According to the sources, Mr Patil said, “As you are complaining of harassment, they complaint against you of flouting rules and regulations while transporting the animals. Hence, the police is confused as to what to do,” said a source on condition of anonymity. However, Muslim cleric Maulana Athar Ali, who was also present in the meeting, said that it was a very positive meeting. “The delegation placed before them certain points like allowing temporary slaughter houses in Muslim-dominated localities where the sacrifices could be made without hurting the sentiments of people from other communities,” Mr Ali said. He added that the delegation also stressed on the fact that animals seized officially should be sent back to Deonar abattoir and there should be accountability of the same as most of the times seized animals disappear.