Latest news with #AssamCattlePreservationAct
Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
16 arrested under Assam Cattle Preservation Act for illegal slaughter during Eid
Silchar: At least 16 people were arrested under the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021, for alleged illegal slaughtering of cattle in the state during Eid-ul-Zuha, police said Sunday. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said multiple incidents of cattle slaughter, in violation of existing legal provisions, and recovery of cattle parts were reported from five Assam districts, including Kamrup Metro, Dhubri, Hojai, Cachar, and Sribhumi. He said suspected body parts of slaughtered cows were found in multiple locations, including near Guwahati's Cotton University, and police discovered five illegal slaughter sites in Cachar and Sribhumi. 'While our Constitution guarantees the right to religious freedom, it equally upholds the rule of law and public order. But during this year's Eid-ul-Zuha, illegal cattle slaughter and recovery of cattle parts were reported from multiple locations,' he added. Around 16 individuals were arrested separately in Cachar and Sribhumi districts between Saturday and Sunday, police said. 'We arrested seven individuals for their involvement in illegal cow slaughterings under Section 196 (acts to promote hatred based on religion, race, language, or other grounds), 299 (culpable homicide), 325 (killing, poisoning, maiming, or rendering useless any animal), 3(5) (criminal acts committed by several persons with a common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Section 13(1) of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021. Further investigation is going on,' superintendent of police (SP) of Sribhumi Partha Pratim Das said. Additional SP (Crime) of Cachar district, Rajat Pal, said that acting on complaints received from Gumrah, Silchar, and Lakhipur, police arrested nine individuals. 'The law and order situation in the district is normal now,' he said. In August 2021, the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam cabinet passed the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021, replacing a cattle preservation law of 1950. As per the new Act, cattle slaughter and the sale of beef within a five-kilometre radius of a temple or satra (Assamese religious sites) is illegal. These activities are also illegal in areas where Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs are in the majority. In December last year, the state government announced some additional restrictions on beef consumption and, according to the chief minister, beef consumption in public places — including restaurants, hotels, public events, and community festivals — is restricted and illegal in Assam. During Eid-ul-Zuha on Saturday, several organisations, including Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), staged protests against the alleged illegal cow slaughters in Cachar and Sribhumi. 'Open cow slaughter in Hindu-majority areas is banned in Assam but still some people try this. This time we refrained from going to those areas physically. Rather, we informed the police and they acted immediately,' Mithun Nath from VHP said.
Scroll.in
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Assam: 16 arrested for ‘illegal' cattle slaughter on Bakri Eid, says Himanta Biswa Sarma
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that 16 persons have been arrested in the state for allegedly slaughtering cattle illegally on the Muslim festival of Bakri Eid a day earlier. The festival, also known as Eid-al-Adha, commemorates the spirit of sacrifice and entails the slaughtering of livestock. The consumption of beef is not illegal in the state. However, the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, which was passed in August 2021, prohibits cattle slaughter and the sale of beef and beef products in areas 'predominantly inhabited by Hindu, Jain, Sikh and other non-beef eating communities' or within five km of a temple or a sattra, a Vaishnavite monastery. It also places restrictions on cattle transportation. Sarma said on Friday that of the 16 arrests made, nine were from Cachar district and seven from Sribhumi. The Bharatiya Janata Party leader also claimed that cattle parts were found near Cotton University in Guwahati, and Dhubri, Hojai and Sribhumi districts. The chief minister said that five 'illegal slaughter sites' were found. Three of them were in Cachar district's Gumrah, Silchar and Lakhipur and two in the Karimganj district's Badarpur and Banga, he added. 'While our Constitution guarantees the right to religious freedom, it equally upholds the rule of law and public order,' he said on X, adding that the state government was 'committed to preserving communal harmony, but not at the cost of lawlessness or cruelty'. 'Please be clear that strict action will be taken against all violators – irrespective of faith or background,' the BJP leader added. While our Constitution guarantees the right to religious freedom, it equally upholds the rule of law and public order. This Eid-ul-Zuha disturbing incidents of illegal cattle slaughter and recovery of cattle parts were… — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 8, 2025
Hans India
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
16 arrested in Assam for illegal cattle slaughter during Eid
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that 16 individuals have been arrested across the state in connection with incidents of alleged illegal cattle slaughter during Eid-ul-Zuha celebrations. CM Sarma stated that cattle remains were recovered from various locations in Assam, with five unauthorised slaughter sites identified in the Barak Valley. These were located in Gumrah, Silchar, and Lakhipur in Cachar district, and Badarpur and Banga in Karimganj district. The arrests include nine people from Cachar and seven from Sribhumi. Additional reports cited the discovery of cattle parts in areas including Cotton University in Kamrup (Metro), Dhubri, Hojai, and Bagargool in Sribhumi. "While our Constitution guarantees the right to religious freedom, it equally upholds the rule of law and public order," CM Sarma wrote on social media platform X. "Disturbing incidents of illegal cattle slaughter and recovery of cattle parts were reported from multiple locations across Assam." CM Sarma emphasised that the state is committed to preserving communal harmony, but warned that violations of the law, regardless of religious background, would invite strict action. Under the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021, cattle slaughter is prohibited in areas where Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs form a majority, and within five kilometres of temples or Vaishnavite monasteries (satras). While beef consumption is not illegal, the Act imposes stringent restrictions on slaughter and sale. Tensions flared in Hojai on Sunday, following claims that meat pieces were found in Hindu residential areas on Saturday night. In response, members of the Hindu community staged a road blockade in the Barpukhuri area. A counter-protest by Muslims occurred in Bhuyanpatty, leading to a confrontation with police. Authorities used mild force to disperse the crowd, a senior police official said. "The situation is now under control, with additional paramilitary forces deployed. We are closely monitoring developments," the official added. Meanwhile, protests continue in Barpukhuri, where efforts are ongoing to negotiate with demonstrators. Residents in Hojai allege that meat was deliberately thrown into their premises, though police have not confirmed these claims. In Guwahati, a piece of meat was reportedly found wrapped in polythene near the Cotton University campus. Police have collected the sample for forensic testing. A similar incident was reported in Nalia, Dhubri district, where suspected meat pieces were discovered near a temple. Authorities said the material was also sent for examination and that the situation in the area remains peaceful.
New Indian Express
8 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
16 arrested in Assam for illegal cattle slaughter during Eid; CM Himanta vows 'strict action'
He said in five instances, cattle parts were found from places including near Cotton University in Guwahati, Dhubri, Hojai and Sribhumi districts. 'We are committed to preserving communal harmony, but not at the cost of lawlessness or cruelty. Please be clear that strict action will be taken against all violators — irrespective of faith or background,' he further wrote. Consumption of beef is not illegal in the state, but the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021, bans cattle slaughter and sale of beef in localities where Hindus, Jains and Sikhs are in the majority and in areas within a five-km radius of a temple or satra (Vaishnavite monastery). On Sunday, a huge number of people from the Hindu and Muslim communities came out in Hojai to hold protests separately, and they blocked roads and clashed with the police, the officer said. "While the Hindus blocked roads at Barpukhuri area, where suspected cattle meat pieces were found at three places on Saturday. Following that, Muslims also came out and blocked a road at Bhuyanpatty as a countermeasure," he said. A section of the mob at Bhuyanpatty clashed with the police personnel who resorted to "mild lathi-charge" to disperse the protesters, the officer said. "The situation is now under control, and we have deployed additional forces from central paramilitary agencies. We are closely monitoring the development," he said. The protest in Barpukhuri area is still underway, and the administration is talking to the agitators to clear the blockade.
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
16 arrested, multiple illegal slaughter sites uncovered across Assam during Eid: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma (Pic credit: PTI) NEW DELHI: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday expressed serious concern over reports of illegal cattle slaughter during the Eid-ul-Zuha celebrations across the state, warning that strict action would be taken against violators, regardless of their faith or background. Taking to X, the chief minister said, "While our Constitution guarantees the right to religious freedom, it equally upholds the rule of law and public order. This Eid-ul-Zuha, disturbing incidents of illegal cattle slaughter and recovery of cattle parts were reported from multiple locations across Assam." — himantabiswa (@himantabiswa) According to details shared by the chief minister, five separate cases involving the recovery of cattle parts were reported from areas including Cotton University in Kamrup (Metro), Dhubri, Hojai, and Sribhumi (Bagargool). Additionally, five illegal slaughter sites were uncovered, three in Cachar district (Gumrah, Silchar, and Lakhipur) and two in Karimganj (Badarpur and Banga). As part of the crackdown, 16 people have been arrested, nine from Cachar and seven from Sribhumi. "We are committed to preserving communal harmony, but not at the cost of lawlessness or cruelty. Please be clear that Strict action will be taken against all violators — irrespective of faith or background," Sarma added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Pinga-Pinga e HBP? Tome isso 1x ao dia se tem mais de 40 anos Portal Saúde do Homem Clique aqui Undo State beef ban and enforcement measures The crackdown comes amid Assam's ongoing enforcement of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, passed in 2021, which prohibits cattle slaughter in the state. Last year, the state government went a step further by announcing a blanket ban on the consumption of beef in public places, including restaurants, hotels, and public functions. Speaking on the policy shift in 2024, Sarma had said, "Earlier, our decision was to stop eating beef near temples, but now we have expanded it to the entire state. So you will not be able to eat it in any community place, public place, hotel or restaurant." He also claimed the 2021 legislation had been successful in curbing cattle slaughter and stressed that the extended restrictions aim to promote peace and prevent communal tensions.
