Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath has asked the police and the administration in the state to ensure that animals are not sacrificed in the open on Bakrid, officials told The Times of India. Bakrid, the Muslim festival of sacrifice, will be observed on Wednesday.

In a video conference with officials across the state on Saturday, the chief minister said law and order must be maintained, power and water supply should not be disrupted, and protected animals should not be sacrificed on the day of the festival. Blood and offal of sacrificed animals should not be dumped in the open in view of the sentiments of other communities, he reportedly told officials.

Muzaffarnagar Superintendent of Police Omveer Singh told The Times of India: “The chief minister focused on law and order and gave instructions that Bakrid was to be celebrated in the traditional way but that sacrifice of animals should not be done either in public or in areas which have mixed populations.”

“We will make sure the CM’s instructions are complied with,” Muzaffarnagar District Magistrate Rajeev Sharma was quoted as saying. “We have held a meeting with district officials.”

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya told India Today that the government had issued orders to officials across the state to ensure zero-tolerance for cow slaughter during the festival. “People should celebrate their festival but we are not going to tolerate cow slaughter,” he said.