NEW DELHI: Citing increase in incidents of illegal slaughtering and transportation of animals, including cows, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has written to all state chief secretaries to ensure compliance with laws and also constituted an inspection committee to conduct surprise inspection to check illegal slaughtering.
The AWBI directive was issued on July 20, a day before Alwar incident where Rakbar Khan was beaten by a mob of cow vigilantes on suspicion of cow smuggling. In April 2017, Pehlu Khan, a dairy farmer, was lynched allegedly by a group of cow vigilantes while transporting cattle to Haryana.
According to the animal welfare board, a large number of animals are sacrificed or slaughtered on various occasions in violation of the Laws, Rules, Regulation and directions all over the country. "It is also noticed that during the transportation of animals, the owner of animals does not follow the animal welfare laws and Transport of Animals Rules resulting in cruelty to animals.
The animals are subjected to various cruelties and some of the animals die during transportation," said the directive issued by its chairman S P Gupta. The directive highlights that unscrupulous persons are carrying on the business of illegal slaughtering in violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Act, 1960 and that such violation is also against the spirit of Article 48, 48 (a) and 51 A (g).
The Article 48 deals with cow slaughtering. "There has been increasing in complaints of illegal transportation and slaughtering of animals in last few months from across the country and we have constituted an inspection committee to report such incidents," Gupta told Express.
A 12-member inspection committee, constituting members of state authorities and animal welfare experts, has been constituted to visit and inspect any places all over the country as per the directions of the board to report cases of illegal transportation and sacrificing.