Ranchi/Jamshedpur/Dhanbad: State urban development department has ordered non-vegetarian items not be sold across Jharkhand on Wednesday, Independence Day, as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi's non-violence, but its awareness and implementation seem to be uneven.

While Ranchi seems to be taking it seriously, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad and Chas have not notified the order, calling the ban "nothing new", though notices issued by some municipal bodies have appeared in national and vernacular newspapers. In Ranchi, the ad came on Monday, Khunti, Bundu and Hazaribagh, carried the ad on Tuesday.

"On the occasion of Independence Day on 15. 08. 2015, all slaughter houses, shops of meat, fish, chicken, hen and liquor shall remain closed and sale and purchase of the items will be completely prohibited. Anyone found selling or purchasing these items will be prosecuted," the ad in Hindi read.

Urban development department secretary Ajoy Kumar Singh said this wasn't the first time the ad was published.

"Many things are done on the basis of precedence. As far as I know, such an administrative order is being issued since Independence to promote non-violence propagated by Gandhiji, Mahavir (Jain) and other saints. In Jharkhand, too, we enforced a similar ban in the past years as well," Singh said.

Ranchi city SP Aman Kumar said offenders would be punished under Section 188 of Indian Penal Code (IPC). "It means disobedience of an order promulgated by a public servant under which there is provision of simple imprisonment of one month and Rs 200 fine or both," Kumar said.

But, the order has its share of followers and dissenters. Many are even ignorant of it.

Noted high court lawyer Rajiv Kumar said there was freedom to choose food under article 21 of the Constitution but there were certain restrictions too. "As far as banning non-veg on I-Day or Republic Day goes, it is to pay respect to Gandhiji who made non-violence a tool against British. It's fine," he said.

Ranchi mutton seller Md Jubair said he would keep his shop closed on Wednesday as he did on Republic Day, Gandhi Jayanti and Mahavir Jayanti too. But fish vendor Shankar Singh said he would sell till 10am, like he did every Independence Day. A Jamshedpur mutton seller, without coming on quote, said, "Mutton shops are open here on Independence Day here every year. Don't know about a ban."

Dhanbad and Chas mayors Chandrashekhar Agarwal and Bholu Paswan in unison said "everybody knows" about restrictions on non-veg items on Independence Day. Both said there was no need to notify "known facts". Residents of the towns said non-veg items could be bought on August 15, but "on the sly".

National Award winning filmmaker Meghnad called it an exercise in foolishness. "Two years ago, such a matter was raised through a petition at Bombay High Court and there the court had exempted fish. But I see all such exercises as jingoism and an effort to appease Brahminism. Personally, I feel it is foolishness," he said.

Tribal Advisory Council member Ratan Tirkey said it shouldn't be a controversy. "To respect freedom fighters, whatever decision the government takes should be followed. One shouldn't take it otherwise. Not eating non-veg for a day is not a violation of your right to choose," he said.

But, there is no clarity on whether the ban applies to mutton biryani or chicken pasta in restaurants. A senior chef of a Ranchi hotel said freezers stocked meat and fish supplies, hinting those would be cooked. In the chaos, freedom to dine out seems to have been left in peace.