GUWAHATI: Nearly 200 people were arrested and a large quantity of suspected beef was seized over the past two days in Assam during a statewide drive against alleged violation of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021.
The drive was launched to verify reports about illegal cattle slaughter and unauthorised sale of beef in restaurants and eateries, the police said. Altogether, 196 people were arrested from different parts of the state. The police further stated that the drive will continue in the coming days.
Two days ago, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had expressed deep concerns over incidents of cow slaughter. He stated that 1,400 cows were killed during Eid in the name of ‘qurbani’ in lower Assam’s Dhubri town.
The consumption of beef is not illegal in Assam, but the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021 prohibits the sale and consumption of beef in public places, in areas with a large population of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and other non-beef-eating communities, and within a radius of 5 km from any temple or similar institutions.
“…No person shall transport or offer for transport or cause to be transported any cattle without valid permit from any place of other state through Assam to any place outside the state of Assam, or from any place within the state of Assam to any place outside the state of Assam where slaughter of cattle is not regulated by law,” the law says. It adds that the competent authority may issue a permit for transport of cattle for agricultural or animal husbandry purposes.
The drive comes amid a controversy surrounding the alleged sale of 90 Gir cows to individuals, including a minister’s wife and some elected members of the BJP. The state government had procured 300 Gir cows earlier for the Gorukhuti dairy project.
The Congress on Wednesday demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into alleged corruption in the project.