Muzaffarnagar, India – For nearly two weeks now, Islah*, a Muslim, has been forced to close his restaurant situated along a highway in Khatauli town of Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district in northern India.
The venue, which seats about 100 people at a time and serves vegetarian food to people of all religions, is under pressure to display the names of its owner and staff members following a controversial order issued by the district administration earlier this month.
On July 2, police in Muzaffarnagar mandated restaurants and roadside vendors to prominently display their names to help Hindu devotees decide which food outlets to avoid as they observe the holy month of Shravan, during which millions of pilgrims walk along the Ganges River, collecting its holy water.
The pilgrimage, which lasts two weeks, started on July 22 and will end on August 6. Most devotees do not eat meat or fish during this journey. But critics said the move was intended to stop the pilgrims from visiting eateries owned by Muslims.
This story was originally published in aljazeera.com. Read the full story here.