
NEW DELHI -- A ban on selling meat in parts of India's capital during a Hindu religious festival has sparked an outcry among minority communities, especially Muslims who see the move as the latest encroachment on their religious freedom.
Mukesh Suryan, a mayor from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, announced on April 4 that meat shops in his jurisdiction of South Delhi should close during the "auspicious period of Navratri, devoted to Hindu Goddess Durga."