The Nagaland government has decided to ban commercial import, trading and sale of dog meat, the state’s top official said on Friday. The decision was taken after a picture of incapacitated canines tied in gunny bags was widely circulated on social media and created an uproar.

The picture was tweeted by many celebrities and animal rights activist, who expressed their disgust and concern over the existence of such a festival. 

Bollywood actor Sunny Leone had tweeted, “How do you tell this sweet face that it’s not good enough to live on? Have a voice! Have a heart! Say NO and the dog meat trade ends.”

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar also took to the social media site and wrote, “This is shocking, please raise your voice, this act of barbarism must stop. @Manekagandhibjp @CmoNagaland @DGP_Nagaland @PetaIndia”

The decision to ban commercial import and trading of dogs, and sale of dog meat, both cooked and raw, was taken during a state cabinet meeting, said state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Neiba Kronu.

The government also decided to ban commercial import and trading of pigs with immediate effect, he said.

The state already banned the import of pigs following the outbreak of swine fever in the region and the cabinet gave approval to it in the meeting, he said.

“The state government has decided to ban commercial import and trading of dogs and dog markets and also the sale of dog meat, both cooked and uncooked. Appreciate the wise decision taken by the state’s cabinet,” Chief Secretary Temjen Toy said in a tweet.

The decision by the state government is being seen as historic by animal protection groups.

The dog meat trade in Nagaland is illegal and in violation of various laws, including Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that makes killing of animals an offence punishable with up to five years of imprisonment.