“The traders have stopped transporting animals from local mandis for us because they fear they would be attacked on the way. A father of two children who live with his wife back home, Pillai draws a salary of Rs 30,000 a month. The high-pitched crackdown has found support of Hindu right-wing groups and this has made the workers, like Pillai, foresee a bleak future. The association puts the country’s annual meat exports at Rs 27,000 crore, which includes Rs 15,000 crore from UP. So many industries like hotels and tanneries, are depended on it,” said Siraj Qureshi, who owns a plant in Hapur.

Source: Hindustan Times March 27, 2017 06:22 UTC