Union minister asks Naveen Patnaik to make cow slaughter punishment same as murd

The vehicle carrying around 100 cattle was heading towards West Bengal when it hit a SUV following which it turned turtle on roadside.

Updated on: Feb 19, 2021, 14:23:54 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty | Edited by Abhinav Sahay, Bhubaneswar

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On a day three men and 40 cattle were killed after a truck illegally transporting them overturned on NH-60 in Balasore district, Union minister for fisheries, animal husbandry & dairying Pratap Chandra Sarangi urged Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik to make the Orissa Cow Slaughter Act stringent like that of murder.

Pratap Chandra Sarangi wrote to Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik on the issue of Cow slaughter (ANI Photo)

In his letter to Patnaik, Sarangi said illegal trafficking of cattle was rampant in Odisha, showing laxity in law enforcement and alleged tacit support from agencies supposed to enforce the Orissa Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act 1960 and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960.

"The Orissa Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act 1960 was one of the pioneering legislation in the country made under the leadership of late Biju Patnaik. It's time to make punishment under it more stringent at par with murder," he wrote, referring to the death of 40 cattle and three men after a cattle-laden truck overturned on NH-60 near Basta bypass of Balasore district on Thursday.

The vehicle carrying around 100 cattle was heading towards West Bengal when it hit a SUV following which it turned turtle on roadside. “I call upon you to have the said incident investigated and exemplary punishment meted out to the accused,” Sarangi wrote in his letter.

Also Read: Odisha: 16 held for stir against coal trucks emitting smoke

Early this month, Odisha police had rescued 12 cattle from Pathan Mahala under Old Bazar police limits in Bhadrak district while they were reportedly smuggled in a postal parcel container.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More