Ahead of Id-ul-Adha, popularly known as Bakrid, Hyderabad-based Muslim faith leader Maulana Husamuddin Sani Jafar Pasha called for moving away from slaughter of cattle beginning next year, even as he accused the Telangana administration of being lax in dealing with cow vigilantes.

Maulana Jafar Pasha told The Hindu that he had held discussions with the Jamiat Quresh, a body of meat traders. He said developments in West Bengal were cited during the discussions and that further deliberations on ending bovine slaughter would continue in due course.

“We have been closely watching the developments relating to big animal sacrifice in West Bengal. We will hold consultations soon with all stakeholders to decide a further course of action. This will be for next year. We do not believe that revenue to madrassas or other religious institutions on account of animal hide donation and sale will be a problem. The hide market already collapsed a few years ago,” he said.

“I have also raised the issue of checkpoints. When a certificate is issued by a doctor (veterinarian) at the market yard, why should there be another doctor to check the animal? Also, we are concerned about the movement of gorakshaks. The police should ensure that they do not take the law into their hands, and that no vehicle is stopped by them,” Maulana Jafar Pasha said.

In a separate development, several mosques across the city used the Friday sermon to urge congregants, ahead of the festival, to keep cleanliness and hygiene at the forefront. They said that while performing the ritual sacrifice was important, those carrying it out should ensure that fellow citizens were not inconvenienced. They also underscored that, after performing the sacrifice, the welfare of the poor must not be ignored.