Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday tabled a bill in the state Legislative Assembly aimed at regulating “slaughter, consump...
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday tabled a bill in the state Legislative Assembly aimed at regulating “slaughter, consumption, illegal transportation” of cattle, reported The Indian Express. The Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021, bans the sale and purchase of beef items in areas “predominantly inhabited by Hindu, Jain, Sikh and other non beef-eating communities”, or “within a radius of 5 km” of any temple or sattra (Vaishnavite monasteries).
This is a unique provision in the Bill as other states with anti-cattle slaughter legislations do not exclude specific areas to sell or buy beef and its products. If passed, the new Bill will replace the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 1950, which Sarma said lacked sufficient legal provisions to protect cows.
As part of the draft Bill, cattle slaughter in the state can be done only with the permission of the authorities and at a licenced slaughterhouse after government veterinary officers issue fitness certificates, reported NDTV.
The proposed law does not distinguish between different cattle types. It applies to all cattle that includes “bulls, bullocks, cows, heifer, calves, male and female buffaloes and buffalo calves”. Both Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, in their anti-slaughter acts, include only cow progeny, but not buffaloes.
As part of the old legislation, cattle slaughter is allowed only for...
