The sale should be permitted while following rules and lockdown regulations. (Representational Photo)

Prominent Sunni cleric Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali on Friday urged the Yogi Adityanath government to permit the sale of meat during the ongoing lockdown.

In a statement issued on social media, the cleric said, “During the lockdown, slowly essential commodities are being made available which has been a relief for people. Hence, I would like to appeal to the state that sale of meat, which has been prohibited, should be restarted, so that it is available.”

“The sale should be permitted while following rules and lockdown regulations. This will provide a huge chunk of the population a relief,” the cleric added.

The cleric said the approval should be granted under the right to food. “And another aspect is that there is a sizable number of people who depend on the sale of meat for their livelihood who are struggling at the moment,” he added.

Sale of meat was banned by the state government since the lockdown was enforced in March. Sale of fish has also been banned with slaughter houses closed as part of the lockdown measures.