The Lucknow district administration on Friday banned the sacrifice of camels on the occasion of Bakrid, pronouncing it as a “prohibited animal”.

District magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma said police and intelligence unit personnel will keep a tab on the sale and purchase of the humped animal, and ensure that not a single camel is sold in the state capital. He also directed intelligence units to keep an eye on groups of camels brought in from Rajasthan, and ensure that they are not sold within city limits.

“Lucknow doesn’t have a history of sacrificing camels on the occasion of Bakrid, and nowhere in the district administration’s record is anything like this mentioned. Hence, it should be ensured that activities of this sort are not carried out within district limits,” said Sharma.

During the weeks preceding Bakrid, many traders from Rajasthan travel through the district with camels meant for sale in East Uttar Pradesh. “The police must ensure that these groups pass through Lucknow smoothly without selling a single animal,” the district magistrate directed.