"Cow Not Endangered In State, So Why...": Assam House Passes Cattle Bill

The opposition suggested at least 75 changes to Assam's new cattle protection bill, but was ignored.

The Assam Legislative Assembly on Friday passed the Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021, amid bedlam in the House, with opposition members staging a walkout after their demand to send the draft to a select committee wasn't considered. Cows can only be slaughtered with government permission, the bill says, and only in licenced slaughterhouses. Such facilities, however, cannot operate within a five-kilometres radius of temples, xatras, or areas where non-beef eating communities have a majority. Neither can cow meat be sold or bought in such localities. Cows younger than 14 years and calves can't be slaughtered. The bill also restricts the transportation of the animals within and outside the state without government permission. Any violation would be a non-bailable offence, leading to jail terms of between three and eight years.