Cattle slaughter, especially cow slaughter, has always been controversial in India. This is mainly due to cattle’s traditional role in Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism as a respected living being. While the Muslims, Christians, and other non-Dharmic religions such as Animists and non-Indian Zoroastrians consider it a suitable source of meat.
Recently the Assam Government passed the Cattle Preservation Bill 2021 thereby repelling the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 1950. In this blog we will discuss the various provisions of the new bill and other points made in it.
Provisions of the Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021
The bill was introduced in the Assembly July 12, citing that the 1950 Act lacked sufficient legal provisions. The bill aims at regulating “slaughter, consumption, illegal transportation” of cattle.
Restrictions on slaughtering
- The slaughter of cattle will be forbidden unless a requisite certificate issued by a certified veterinary officer of a particular area is obtained.
- Only cows over 14 years of age or those permanently incapicitated due to work, breeding, accident or deformity will be certified for slaughter. However, law will not be applied to religious occasions. On such occasions, slaughter of cattle excluding cow, heifer and calf, is allowed.
- Cattle can be slaughtered only at recognized and certified slaughterhouses.
Restrictions on sale
- It will not be allowed to sell beef or beef products in any form except at places permitted by the government.
- The Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021, forbids the sale and purchase of beef in areas majorly inhabited by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and other non-beef-eating communities.
- It also makes it illegal to sell or buy beef within a 5-kilometer radius of a temple or a satra (Vaishnavite monastery).
Restrictions on transportation
- It makes it illegal to transfer cattle between states or through Assam without valid documentation. The inclusion of this clause was reportedly to address cattle smuggling to Bangladesh which shares a 263-kilometre-long border with Assam.
- No permission would be required to carry cattle for grazing or for agricultural or animal husbandry purposes within a district. Transportation of cattle to and from registered animal markets for sale and purchase within a district will also not require any permission.
Penalties for Violation
- The violators will be imprisoned between three to eight years. It also includes fines ranging from Rs. 3 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh.
- For the second and subsequent convictions, the Bill attempts to penalise repeat offenders with double the imprisonment and fines.
Impact on other North-Eatern States
Assam is the main gateway to the northeast region. Apart from cattle, almost all goods from other parts of the country are transported to the region via Assam. The bill is likely to affect supplies of cattle to Christian-majority regions where beef is consumed.
Opposition to the Bill
The Opposition Congress, AIUDF and CPI (M) proposed at least 75 amendments and asked the government to refer the bill to an Assembly select committee for further discussion, but the proposal was rejected by the Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Congress and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) the bill could lead to communal tensions and affect the livelihood of those involved in the cattle trade legally.
The opposition party AIUDF opposed the bill on the grounds that the bill is aimed at targeting a particular community. According to Congress the interpretation of the Bill could be controversial and could lead to attacks on communities that consume beef.
About Assam
Capital: Dispur
Chief Minister: Himanta Biswa Sarma
With this we come to the end of this blog. We discussed in detail all the relevant points related to the Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021 and issues related to it.
Check – History and culture of Assam
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