Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Sunday urged West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to intervene over the state government’s recent notice on animal slaughter guidelines, claiming it had created “confusion and unrest” among the minority community in Murshidabad district.
In a letter to the chief minister, Chowdhury said the May 13 public notice on adherence to “Animal Slaughter Guidelines” had triggered unease in Murshidabad, where minorities form the majority of the population.
Suggesting what he termed a practical solution, the Congress leader urged the state government to direct the Murshidabad district administration to identify and demarcate specific locations where people could carry out customs linked to their religious faith.
"Such identified and demarcated locations would be used solely for customary practises associated with the religious grouping. This approach will be an ideal solution for putting to rest the unease the notice may be causing," he wrote.
The May 13 notice reiterates that no slaughter of bulls, bullocks, cows, calves or male and female buffaloes can take place without an officially issued fitness certificate, which can only be jointly granted by the chairman of a municipality or the Sabhapati of a panchayat samiti along with a government veterinary surgeon.
According to the notification, such a certificate may be granted only if both authorities record in writing that the animal is either over 14 years of age for work or breeding purposes, or has become permanently incapacitated due to age, injury, deformity or incurable disease.
Noting that West Bengal is a state with multifarious groups and communities following varied cultural traditions and religious practices, Chowdhury said enabling people of different communities to practise their socio-religious customs without any misgivings was essential.
"I look forward to your intervention so that the unease and confusion being caused in the district is put to rest," he said in the letter addressed to Adhikari.
(With inputs from PTI)