In a major statewide crackdown on alleged illegal cattle slaughter and unauthorised sale of beef, the Assam Police apprehended 196 individuals on Tuesday under provisions of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021.
Authorities also conducted searches in more than a hundred eateries across the state, resulting in the seizure of 1,084 kilograms of meat suspected to be beef.
According to Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Akhilesh Kumar Singh, the police inspected 112 eateries during the coordinated operation. “The main intention of the drive is to stop violation of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act,” Singh told PTI.
While beef consumption itself is not criminalised in Assam, the 2021 law prohibits cattle slaughter and the sale of beef in areas primarily populated by communities such as Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs, or within a five-kilometre radius of temples, satras (Vaishnavite monasteries), and other Hindu religious institutions or any other locations designated by the competent authority.
The legislation also imposes stringent rules on cattle transportation within the state.
This latest action follows a string of incidents in recent weeks that stirred communal tensions. In Dhubri district alone, over 150 people were arrested after animal remains believed to be from a cow were found near a temple. Similar reports emerged from Goalpara and Lakhimpur districts.
Referring to these events, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is notorious for delivering anti-Muslim slurs in the pretext of a crackdown on cattle slaughter, stated, “The incidents were part of an attempt to create unrest since Eid-al Adha.”
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.