The message on the hoarding reads, “Main jeev hoon, maans nahi, hamare prati nazariya badlein, vegan banein” (I am a creature, not meat. Change your perspective towards us, turn vegan)”.
By our correspondent. Lucknow
A PETA hoarding with a photograph of a goat, asking people not to slaughter it, was removed from the Uttar Pradesh capital following the objection by a senior Sunni cleric.
President of the Islamic Centre of India, Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali sent an email to the Lucknow Police Commissioner demanding removal of the controversial hoarding.
He appealed to the police commissioner that such hoardings can spoil the atmosphere, so it should be removed immediately. After which the police of Lucknow removed the hoarding on Friday evening. However, it is not yet clear who planted this hoarding?
Giving information in this regard, Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali said, ‘The objectionable object has been written by putting a picture of a goat in a big hoarding at Kaiserbagh intersection in Lucknow. In this connection, Imam Idgah Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahli and Athar Hussain Direction Coordination have written a letter to the Police Commissioner demanding that the hoardings be ordered to be removed.
Because Bakrid is about to come and on this occasion, Muslims sacrifice the goat and it is felt that this action has been done to hurt the religious sentiment of the Muslims.
“Bakrid is expected to be celebrated on July 31. Why such a hoarding is being put up just ahead of the festival?” the cleric queried
Two complaints were also lodged with the Kaiserbagh police demanding the removal.
Such hoardings have been put across the country by PETA which works for animal rights.
(www.siyasat.net is Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India based website)
