Cattle market empties as fear grips Eid preparations in India’s West Bengal
Key takeaways
- Tensions rise in the key state, won by the right-wing BJP this month for the first time, as political shift disrupts Eid al-Adha traditions.
- Traders are huddled in groups under a tin shade while more than 200 head of cattle readied for sale before the Muslim festival remain tied to bamboo poles in the open, braving the summer heat.
- In a state with nearly 25 million Muslims, or 27 percent of its population, it should be an occasion for good business.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Tensions rise in the key state, won by the right-wing BJP this month for the first time, as political shift disrupts Eid al-Adha traditions.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Few buyers have been visiting the Dhulagarh cattle market outside Kolkata this year before Eid al-Adha [Ritwika Mitra/Al Jazeera]By Ritwika Mitra Published On 25 May 202625 May 2026Kolkata, India – Less than a week before Eid al-Adha, the sprawling Dhulagarh cattle market on the outskirts of Kolkata, the capital of India’s West Bengal state, has a deserted look.
Traders are huddled in groups under a tin shade while more than 200 head of cattle readied for sale before the Muslim festival remain tied to bamboo poles in the open, braving the summer heat.