Legal abbattoirs will not be touched, action only against illegal slaughterhouses: Aditya Nath

Amid a controversy over crackdown on slaughterhouses, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Aditya Nath Yogi on Saturday said abbattoirs operating legally will not be touched and action is only being taken against the illegal ones. 

"The illegal abattoirs would be closed down," he said while addressing a civic reception here in his hometown.

Aditya Nath said the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had in the past couple of years insisted on the closure of illegal abbattoirs. 

"The government will not touch those (abbattoirs) which are operating as per the provisions of law and have a valid licence. But, those which are violating the orders of the NGT and playing with the health of the public would not be spared...," he asserted. 

Aditya Nath, on his first visit to his Lok Sabha constituency Gorakhpur, however, sounded a word of caution to 

the excited party workers. 

"The BJP's electoral win in Uttar Pradesh has undoubtedly been an unprecedented one. But, care should be taken to ensure that no party worker takes law in his own hand. 'Josh mein hosh naa khoye' (don't lose sense in excitement). 

"Your over-excitement may give an opportunity to the anti-social elements to take advantage and they may again vitiate the atmosphere." He said, "We have to do a lot in UP. BJP will show how a government should work. It will be corruption-free government and goonda raj will end." 

The Uttar Pradesh Police has also warned 'self-proclaimed persons' against working to force closure of abattoirs. 

In a statement on Saturday, UP DGP Javeed Ahmed said that only the force and administration officials are authorised to take action against illegal slaughterhouses operating in the state.

"Only the police and administration officials would act against illegal slaughterhouses operating in the state and not any self-proclaimed person from the society," he said amid reports of some self-proclaimed persons and groups forcing closure of abattoirs. 

He said that if any person or group other than the UP Police or state administration officials was found taking the law into their own hands, action will be taken against them immediately. 

"In any case, no innocent person should be harassed," the DGP said.