Himanta says will tighten cattle slaughter law after series of arrests bring issue to centre stage in Assam
Politics over cattle and beef have taken a centre-stage in Assam after a string of incidents in which suspected cattle remains have been recovered near places of worship, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma saying Friday that the government would tighten the enforcement of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021, while Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi has alleged BJP involvement in these incidents ahead of next year's elections.
In the past two weeks, at least 72 people have been arrested in Dhubri, Goalpara and Lakhimpur after three separate incidents of suspected cattle remains being recovered from near temples in the first two places, and near a namghar (community prayer hall) in Lakhimpur. Sarma Friday referred to these as an attempt to create unrest 'since Eid ul Zuha.'
Speaking at a press conference, he said that all these incidents have taken place in 'sensitive areas.'
'When we look at all these incidents and wherever they have taken place, they are near localities where there have been arrangements of eating beef during Eid ul Zuha. Our cattle preservation bill says that if Hindu people stay in an area, or if there are temples or namghars, this kind of meat cannot be consumed within 5 kilometres radius near these. That is a legal provision,' he said.
The Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021, that he was referring to has a section which prohibits the sale of beef and beef products in areas 'which are predominantly inhabited by Hindu, Jain, Sikh and other non-beef eating communities or within a radius of 5 km of any temple, satra, or other religious institutions belonging to Hindu religion or any other institution or area as may be prescribed by the competent authority.'
Sarma said that the state government would prepare an SOP to stop qurbani (sacrifice) of cattle within a 5-km radius of such premises saying the enforcement of this 'can be a permanent solution.'
'Dhubri has one of the leading gurudwaras in the country. And there are many temples near that… But this time around Eid, the district administration had not enforced this provision the way it should have been done… So, we have directed district administrations that this significant section in our cattle preservation bill has to be enforced very strictly… This can be a permanent solution. If the 5 km provision is implemented, no one can eat and no one can slaughter within Dhubri town,' he said.
Last week, he had also alleged that beef is being 'weaponised' against Hindus in the state to force them away from places.
Hitting out against these developments, MP and Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi has accused Sarma of 'Jinnah-like politics' and alleged a BJP role in these incidents.
'There should be investigation into all these people who have been held so far on who gave them this idea, who gave them the advice. Those who have done it have done an offence, but who gave them the idea?… Elections are close, failures have to be hidden, and this is their whole strategy,' said Gogoi on Friday.
'There are some criminal minded people within them. Within the BJP, RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal, there are some criminal minded people who seek to do these kinds of things before elections. Our aim is not to let a communal environment be created inside Assam… We will not let him do his 'Jinnah-like' politics,' he added.
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