The Uttar Pradesh government, under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath, has declared November 25 as a "no non-veg day" in commemoration of Sadhu TL Vaswani's birth anniversary. Across the state, all meat shops and slaughterhouses will remain closed on this date, as per an official statement.
Sadhu Thanwardas Lilaram Vaswani, an esteemed Indian educationist, initiated the Mira Movement in Education and established St. Mira's School in Hyderabad, Sindh (now in Pakistan). His life and teachings are honored through the Darshan Museum, a dedicated museum in Pune.
Recognized globally as International Meatless Day, November 25 signifies Sadhu Vaswani's birthday.
The government's announcement highlighted alleged "malicious attempts" to discourage the use of products lacking a halal certificate, attributing these actions not only to seeking "unfair financial benefits" but also as part of a "pre-planned strategy to sow class hatred, create divisions in society, and weaken the country" by "anti-national elements."
In response to the ban on Halal-certified products, the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) conducted raids in various locations to scrutinize food items. Recently, an FSDA team raided a McDonald's outlet in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, as part of the state government's crackdown on purportedly inauthentic Halal-certified products.
During the inspection, FSDA officials examined numerous food items, uncovering Halal-certified products, particularly packaged wraps.
Similar raids were conducted at Lucknow's Sahara Mall, where eight companies were found selling Halal-certified products. Legal actions were initiated against these entities in response to the findings.
