Cattle market empties as fear grips Eid preparations in India’s West Bengal

Kolkata, 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.