Assam Cattle Preservation Act to be strictly implemented: Himanta
Guwahati, The Assam Cattle Preservation Act will be strictly enforced in all districts of the state to prevent availability and consumption of beef within a five km radius of religious places of worship, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.
''The availability and consumption of beef during the recent Eid festival despite the ban within a 5 km radius of temples and other places of worship is a very serious matter. In this regard, we will take strict action under the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021'', Sarma said at a press conference here.
After the Eid Uz Zuha festival this year, it has been seen that in some areas of sensitive districts like Dhubri, Goalpara and Hojai, several attempts have been made to create disturbances by throwing body parts, particularly skulls near temples and prayer halls, he said.
Sarma said that it has been observed that these have occurred near localities where beef consumption during Eid is common and all are within the restricted area of 5 km radius of places of religious worship.
''This has been in clear violation of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act which clearly states that beef consumption or its sale and distribution is banned within a radius of 5 km of religious places of worship. The concerned district administrations did not enforce this provision strictly leading to this situation'', he said.
If people had been made aware of the 5 km restrictions, these incidents could have been avoided, he added.
''I have directed all district commissioners to strictly implement the Act and ensure that slaughter, sale or consumption of beef is banned within the restricted area'', he said.
In places like Lakhimpur and Lakhipur in Goalpara district, it has been seen that these incidents have occurred in areas classified as tribal belts and blocks of Village Grazing Reserve and Professional Grazing Reserve where in many cases, people have occupied the land illegally, Sarma said.
''Even the leader of the opposition had said in the assembly that immigrants who came after a certain year cannot legally occupy or claim the land as their own. I have directed district commissioners and additional district commissioners to conduct a survey in these areas to identify those people whose families have not lived in Assam for at least three generations and prepare a list of all those people living in tribal belt, block or in VGR/PGR, particularly in the sensitive areas which will help us to take necessary legal action'', he said.
On Wednesday, seven persons were arrested following the alleged recovery of three cow skulls, approximately 30 metres from a 'Namghar' , in Lakhimpur district.
Recently, shoot-at-sight orders at night were issued in Dhubri where a day after the Bakrid, a cow's head was found in front of the Hanuman Temple and again the next day, another skull was found again there along with incidents of stone pelting reported.
On June 8, Sarma had said that a number of cattle were allegedly slaughtered illegally at several places during the Bakrid festival and parts of the meat were thrown at multiple locations across Assam.
Police have so far arrested over 60 people with over 50 in Dhubri alone in connection with illegal slaughter of cows with the intention of creating communal disturbances in the state.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Intimidating laws will be used against political rivals despite SC ruling
Slamming the authorities of gross misuse of state laws like the UP Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, a Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, has made it clear that the Act was not an instrument to target individuals, who are guilty of involvement in a single incident of anti-social activity. While warning governments against invoking such stringent laws as a tool of harassment or intimidation, the bench asserted that it was tantamount to extreme abuse of the governing laws when such an Act is used as a means of oppression, especially when political motivations are suspected. In a veiled attack, the apex court has sent across a message loud and clear that they cannot be used to settle political scores. By definition, the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, is designed to prevent and combat gangsters and related anti-social activities. It defines 'gangster' and provides for the punishment of individuals involved in organized crime, including imprisonment and fines, especially if the offence is committed against a public servant but not for staging demonstrations, when used as an expression of right to expression that had no other ulterior motives. Mere involvement in a demonstration or protest after a communal clash cannot be reason enough to invoke the provisions of the Gangster Act, was made clear by the Supreme Court. Putting to rest many self-satisfactory interpretations about the provisions of the Act, most of which were invoked for serving political interests in violation of the law, the apex court drove home the point that the constitutional guarantee of personal liberty acquires greater emphasis when extraordinary legislation with stringent provisions, such as the UP Gangsters Act, is invoked. In unequivocal terms, it stated, 'When a statute creates serious fetters on personal liberty, the evidentiary foundation for its invocation must be commensurately strong, supported by concrete, verifiable facts rather than vague assertions.' This, in essence, implies that the Act cannot be invoked to stifle voices and silence dissent. Quashing an FIR lodged on April 30, 2023 against an 'organised gang', based on a social media post that cried foul of a particular religion, which led to violent protests 'involving' the appellants Lal Mohd and others, the court maintained that the complaint provided no evidence to substantiate systematic planning or coordinated criminal activities against the group. It discarded the FIR on the grounds that it was a conjectural statement by the complainant and one that was not corroborated with facts to establish 'provocative' motivations of those named in the FIR or to establish that it was a premeditated gang activity meant to create serious law and order disturbances. On their part, the appellants held that the allegations do not meet the threshold to justify invoking the UP Gangsters Act. The Supreme Court said that the accused were arrested and booked under provisions of IPC for vandalising a shop and wondered the need for lodging a second FIR by invoking Gangsters Act six months after the incident. However, the ground reality is that for decades together, many state governments have taken undue advantage of the loopholes that exist in certain laws as a means to harass political antagonists and their supporters. It is even more tragic that they get away even without coming up with any concrete proof to justify such acts of victimisation. Police and law and order are, after all, state subjects and hence none dares to beard the lion.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Enforce slaughter ban: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma to district admins
Guwahati: Assam chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma has issued a stern directive to the district administrations on Friday, asking them to enforce the ban on cow slaughter within a five-kilometre radius of any Hindu religious sites, in accordance to the Assam Cattle Preservation Act 2021. The chief minister's directive comes in the wake of multiple incidents where animal body parts were found near places of worship in Dhubri, Goalpara, Jorhat, Lakhimpur districts, and with a fresh incident being reported from Hojai district. Addressing the issue during a press conference in Lok Sabha Bhawan, Sarma said, "In the past few days, especially after Ei-ul-zuha. We have seen several attempts to create unrest. We have observed that such incidents often occur in sensitive areas, mostly in places where beef consumption during Eid is common. As per the law, within a five kilometre radius, of a temple or Namghar, consumption, slaughter or sale of beef is completely prohibited. But, during this year's Eid, this provision was not strictly enforced by the district administration, as a result locals were not alerted or informed, if they had been made aware of the five kilometre restriction, these incidents might have been avoided. All these incidents happened within the said radius of the namghars and temples. Therefore, the district administrations have been directed to strictly implement the cattle preservation act." The CM added that a standard operating procedures would be handed to the district administrations which to help ensure that no such incidents happen again.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Govt probes surge in foreign-linked Fb accounts ahead of polls
1 2 Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said the govt has initiated a forensic audit of about 5,000 Facebook accounts activated in the last one month, raising concerns over a surge in foreign-linked accounts, which he alleges are being used to destabilize Assam and influence its political discourse. Sarma said a detailed forensic study was conducted on 2,092 accounts, revealing that a significant number of these were primarily operated from Islamic nations. Sarma said among the audited Facebook profiles, 618 were from Bangladesh, 236 from Pakistan, 88 from Kuwait, 54 from France, 35 from Afghanistan, 16 from Indonesia, 10 from Jordan, eight from Iraq, six each from Brazil and Egypt, four each from Germany and Albania, three from Italy, two each from Australia and Palestine and one each from Canada, Colombia and Libya. Sarma said these accounts share Islamic fundamentalist content, including pro-Palestine material, Iran-related posts, and content about Bangladesh's chief advisor Prof Md Yunus. He added that the central govt has been notified about this situation, describing it as a matter of "national security". Sarma added that these accounts also have been exclusively monitoring the activities of a specific Assam Congress leader and the party's state unit pages during the past month. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Вот что поза во сне говорит о вашем характере! Удивительные Новости Undo "It is surprising that they do not comment on or like posts by Rahul Gandhi or even the Indian National Congress. They are only focused on a particular leader and the Assam Congress," Sarma said. "For the first time, there is so much foreign involvement in Assam politics in the run-up to the 2026 assembly elections," he said. "Some accounts are private, and deeper investigations are required. It is a serious security concern that over 5,000 social media accounts were opened in a month, and they are commenting and liking posts related to Assam," he added. Sarma said some individuals from outside have rented accommodation in two Guwahati localities and have established connections with YouTubers and social media influencers for this purpose. "Surveillance is being kept on them. Fundamentalist elements have entered Assam and are active in the run-up to the elections," he said. He added that these account holders might be connected via WhatsApp and other messaging applications, as they operate from different time zones and receive alerts about fundamentalist content. He added that Assam's Muslims, whether indigenous or settled migrants, would not share such content. He said Assam and the northeast have consistently been targets of international fundamentalism, with separating the 'chicken neck' to integrate it with Bangladesh remaining an 'unfinished agenda' for extremists. "We are in a very critical situation and the entire matter is being looked into from the national security angle," Sarma said.
