Varanasi’s Historic Benia Bagh Bakra Market Closed Ahead of Bakrid, Traders Fear Major Financial Losses

Just ahead of Bakrid, the Varanasi Municipal Corporation has shut down the long-standing Benia Bagh goat market, citing concerns over overcrowding and inadequate sanitation.

The decision has sparked strong protests from traders, who claim the action was sudden and taken at the peak of the festive business season without adequate notice.

Known locally as the “Bakra Market,” the livestock bazaar is among the largest seasonal animal markets in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

For nearly four decades, it has served as a major trading hub before Bakrid, attracting buyers and sellers from districts such as Gorakhpur, Ghazipur, Mau and Jaunpur.

Located around a kilometre from the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, the market traditionally operates for several days leading up to the festival.

Municipal officials said the market had initially received permission to operate this year.

However, the approval was later withdrawn after complaints were received regarding hygiene, sanitation and overcrowding at the site.

Varanasi Municipal Commissioner Himanshu Nagpal stated that the decision was taken after authorities inspected the site following the complaints.

According to him, the findings prompted the civic body to revoke the permission granted earlier.

The administration subsequently sealed the 6,000-square-foot market area just four days after trading activities began.

Officials have also indicated that the closure may be permanent, bringing an end to a market that has been a fixture of the city’s Bakrid preparations for decades.

Traders, however, dispute the administration’s account.

Many claim they were not given sufficient warning and allege that officials arrived at the site and instructed them to vacate the premises within just 30 minutes.

Responding to these allegations, Smart City Varanasi Public Relations Officer Shakambhari Nandan Sonthalia said traders were informed after the permission was revoked on Friday.

He maintained that they were given three days to vacate the market, which was operating from a section of the public park in the Benia Bagh area.

Officials said that when traders and shopkeepers failed to leave the premises within the stipulated period, teams from the district administration and police moved in on Monday to clear the area and enforce the closure.

The operation created considerable anxiety among traders, many of whom were present when authorities arrived.

Several expressed anger and frustration over the timing of the action, especially with the festival just around the corner.

The sudden shutdown has also left livestock traders uncertain about where they can now conduct business.

Many fear substantial losses, particularly smaller sellers who travelled from different districts after investing heavily in animals purchased on borrowed money.

One trader, speaking in a video shared online, said many sellers had raised funds by mortgaging personal belongings or borrowing from moneylenders at high interest rates.

He questioned how they would repay those debts if they were unable to sell their animals before the festival.

Another trader said he had no choice but to take his goats back home.

He claimed that finding an alternative livestock market in Varanasi at such short notice would be extremely difficult, leaving many sellers stranded with unsold animals.

The closure has also drawn political reactions. Opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, accused the administration of using the issue to create communal friction ahead of Bakrid.

State Congress president Ajay Rai criticised the decision, arguing that the market had been functioning without any major issues.

He questioned why permission was granted in the first place if authorities intended to revoke it shortly afterwards.

Rai alleged that the abrupt withdrawal of permission appeared to be a deliberate move that could deepen divisions between communities rather than address genuine administrative concerns.

Samajwadi Party leader Dilip Dey, president of the party’s Varanasi metropolitan unit, also condemned the action.

He accused the government of looking for opportunities to create communal tensions during a sensitive period.

Dey further said that the market’s closure has caused inconvenience for residents, many of whom are now travelling across different parts of the district in search of goats ahead of Bakrid.

With the festival fast approaching, uncertainty continues to loom over both traders and buyers, who are scrambling to find alternatives at the last minute.