The Assam Legislative Assembly on Friday, 13 August, passed the Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021. The Bill seeks to regulate the slaughter, consumption and transportation of cattle.
The Bill was tabled by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on 12 July.
“The new legislation, replacing a similar Act of 1950, aims at forbidding the sale and purchase of beef in places other than those permitted by the competent authorities,” he had said.
The Bill says that cows can only be slaughtered with government permission and only in licensed slaughterhouses. Such facilities, however, cannot operate within a five-kilometres radius of temples, yatras, or areas where non-beef eating communities have a majority reported NDTV.
It further states that neither can cow meat be sold nor bought in such localities. Cows younger than 14 years and calves can't be slaughtered.
The Bill restricts the transportation of the animals within and outside the state without government permission.
All offences under the new legislation will be cognisable and non-bailable and can lead to jail terms of between three and eight years. The fine may vary from 3 lakh-5 lakh.
The punishment will be doubled if anyone convicted under the law is found guilty of the same or a related offence the second time. The law also states that the legislation will extend to the whole of Assam and the term ‘cattle’ will apply to bulls, bullocks, cows, heifer, calves, male and female buffaloes and buffalo calves, reported The Hindu.
'Will Build Communal Harmony'
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the Bill will build communal harmony while tabling it.
"In lower Assam and Barak Valley, there have been several incidents of violence between communities due to cow slaughter and beef being found in temples. Our Bill has no ill intensions. No good Muslim has opposed it," Sarma said, reported NDTV.
The Bill was originally introduced by Assam Governor, Jagdish Mukhi, in a welcome speech on the first day of the General Assembly after the start of the second term of the BJP government in June last year.
He said that the "sacred animals" that provide us with "milk to sustain life" must be protected.
It now awaits the approval of Mukhi to replace the current Assam Cattle Protection Act of 1950.
If the cow is over 14 years old or is permanently disabled due to work or reproduction, section 5 of the previous Act allows the veterinarian to issue a certificate for slaughter. Section 6 says that cattle can only be slaughtered in places designated by the authorities, but section 13 waives this requirement during Eid.
The Opposition has proposed at least 75 changes to the new Bill, requesting that it be transferred to a special committee of the House.
All India United Democratic Front legislator Aminul Islam said, "according to statistics, there are 19.327 crore cows in Assam. Cows are not endangered animals. Why are laws being sought for conservation?".
He claims that the government has viewed the matter from a religious perspective.
(With Inputs from NDTV and The Hindu)
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