16 arrested under Assam Cattle Preservation Act for illegal slaughter during Eid

Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said multiple incidents of cattle slaughter were reported from five Assam districts, including Kamrup Metro, Dhubri, Hojai, Cachar, and Sribhumi

Silchar: At least 16 people were arrested under the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021, for alleged illegal slaughtering of cattle in the state during Eid-ul-Zuha, police said Sunday.

Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said suspected body parts of slaughtered cows were found in multiple locations, including near Guwahati’s Cotton University (Representational Image/ HT)

Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said multiple incidents of cattle slaughter, in violation of existing legal provisions, and recovery of cattle parts were reported from five Assam districts, including Kamrup Metro, Dhubri, Hojai, Cachar, and Sribhumi.

He said suspected body parts of slaughtered cows were found in multiple locations, including near Guwahati’s Cotton University, and police discovered five illegal slaughter sites in Cachar and Sribhumi. “While our Constitution guarantees the right to religious freedom, it equally upholds the rule of law and public order. But during this year’s Eid-ul-Zuha, illegal cattle slaughter and recovery of cattle parts were reported from multiple locations,” he added.

Around 16 individuals were arrested separately in Cachar and Sribhumi districts between Saturday and Sunday, police said.

“We arrested seven individuals for their involvement in illegal cow slaughterings under Section 196 (acts to promote hatred based on religion, race, language, or other grounds), 299 (culpable homicide), 325 (killing, poisoning, maiming, or rendering useless any animal), 3(5) (criminal acts committed by several persons with a common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Section 13(1) of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021. Further investigation is going on,” superintendent of police (SP) of Sribhumi Partha Pratim Das said.

Additional SP (Crime) of Cachar district, Rajat Pal, said that acting on complaints received from Gumrah, Silchar, and Lakhipur, police arrested nine individuals. “The law and order situation in the district is normal now,” he said.

In August 2021, the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam cabinet passed the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021, replacing a cattle preservation law of 1950.

As per the new Act, cattle slaughter and the sale of beef within a five-kilometre radius of a temple or satra (Assamese religious sites) is illegal. These activities are also illegal in areas where Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs are in the majority.

In December last year, the state government announced some additional restrictions on beef consumption and, according to the chief minister, beef consumption in public places — including restaurants, hotels, public events, and community festivals — is restricted and illegal in Assam.

During Eid-ul-Zuha on Saturday, several organisations, including Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), staged protests against the alleged illegal cow slaughters in Cachar and Sribhumi.

“Open cow slaughter in Hindu-majority areas is banned in Assam but still some people try this. This time we refrained from going to those areas physically. Rather, we informed the police and they acted immediately,” Mithun Nath from VHP said.