Kolkata: BJP-backed outfit to conduct cow census

“Every year during Bakr Eid, thousands of cows are slaughtered and are smuggled to Bangladesh. This has to stop. It is true that cow slaughter is not banned in the state but even if a cow is to be slaughtered, there are certain norms to follow,” Subrata Gupta, president of committee, said.

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Asked to explain the ‘norms’, Gupta said, “A cow is eligible to be slaughtered and sold if she is 14 years of age, doesn’t have any disease and is not pregnant. A medical officer also needs to certify. But in most of the cases, a cow as young as four years old is sold and smuggled.”

Gupta said that recently Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said she wanted to see cattle smuggling curbed. “So being a citizen of this country and state, this is our duty to stop cow smuggling.”

“After Bakr Eid, we will visit the households which we visited earlier and take a headcount of the cows. If we find the cows missing, we will inquire about the official papers and medical papers that are needed for selling a cow. If the papers are not satisfactory, we will file FIRs about the missing cows,” Gupta said. “Our volunteers will keep a close watch on all the entry and exit routes of transportation of cattle in the state,” he added.