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Journalism of Courage
With a day left for Eid al-Adha, the Tripura government clarified its stand over a recent notification prohibiting illegal killing of animals, including cows and calves, that had drawn flak from opposition political parties.
Speaking to indianexpress.com, Tripura Animal Resources Development Department (ARDD) minister Bhagaban Das said the notification is nothing new and is in connection with an Animal Welfare Board letter, which just mentions rules for transportation and illegal killing of animals, and has not imposed any ban on slaughtering animals.
“There is nothing in the order to prohibit anything drastic. It just asks everyone to stay within the law, that is all. People can transport animals, they can also slaughter. But it has to be according to legal procedure,” the minister said.
A June 18 notification issued by the Tripura ARDD director said that guidelines were in place for stopping illegal killing or sacrifice of cows, calves, cattle and other animals, and that action would be taken against offenders for violating Transport of Animals Rules on the occasion of Bakrid.
The notification was issued in reference to an Animal Welfare Board letter sent to all state governments on June 7 which said, “…… the Bakrid festival will be celebrated on 10th July, 2022 all over the country. It is a fact that large numbers of animals are likely to be slaughtered during Bakrid festival. It is reported that during the transportation of animals, the owner of the animals does not follow the animal welfare laws and Transport of Animals Rules, which prescribes the number of animals which can be transported in a vehicle, resulting in cruelty to the animals”.
The letter also referred to the slaughter-house clause under Rule 3 of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. “No person shall slaughter any animal within a municipal area except in a slaughter house recognised or licensed by the concerned authority empowered under the law for the time being in force to do so and no animal which is pregnant or has an offspring less than 3 months old, or is under 3 months of age, which has not been certified by a veterinary doctor that it is in a fit condition to be slaughtered, shall be slaughtered,” it further said.
It also cited punishments for cruelty to any animal under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and said such violation is against the spirit of Article 48, 48 (a) and 51 A(g) of the Constitution of India.
On what would be considered “illegal killing”, Das explained that slaughters would have to be done only by a licensed personnel and said slaughtering an ill, minor or pregnant animal would be considered “illegal”.
Mentioning the need for slaughter houses, Das said extreme cruelty to animals are sometimes found, including open slaughter which has severe influence on onlookers. The minister said he personally believes that if any religious belief or sentiment is connected to any animal or bird, nobody should slaughter it in front of them as it could impact their sentiments.
The Animal Welfare Board letter was sent to all state governments, asking them to direct authorities concerned to take all precautionary measures to strictly implement the animal welfare laws to stop illegal killing of animals and to take stringent action against the offenders violating the animal laws.
Meanwhile, the notification drew flak from opposition Congress and CPIM, who said it was issued with a “clear motive” to hurt sentiments of a community or to appease another community.
Tripura Congress president Birajit Sinha condemned the notification and said the way it was issued days before the Eid al-Adha was condemnable. He also said religious sentiments of any religion should not be hurt and claimed the notification was issued with a “clear motive” to hurt sentiments of a community.
Opposition CPIM leader and All India Kisan Sabha state president Pabitra Kar said his party found the notification “totally unacceptable” and said it was aimed at appeasing BJP supporters.
The Tripura Wakf Board lent support to the state government and said the notification did not have anything against the Muslim community. “Our Shariati law and Hadith guidelines prohibit us from killing cows below one year of age and prohibits pregnant cows. It is almost the same as the government order. There is no difference,” Tripura Wakf Board chairperson Shah Alam said.
Alam, who is also president of the state’s BJP minority morcha, alleged opposition political parties were making baseless allegations to malign the BJP-led government and appealed to Muslims to ensure slaughters were done in a legal manner, in a secluded enclosure away from public eye, and to make sure all animal waste produced in the process was duly disposed of by burial.
