New Delhi: The Assam Cabinet on Wednesday decided to prohibit serving and consumption of beef in public places.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said no restaurants or hotels in Assam can serve beef from today. A decision in this regard was taken by the Cabinet, he said adding that consumption of beef in social gatherings will also be banned.
The move comes immediately after the recent beef controversy, where Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP from Dhubri Rakibul Hussain had accused Sarma of hosting a beef party to woo minority voters in an area under Samaguri Assembly constituency ahead of the November 13 bypoll to Samaguri constituency.
"We held a detailed deliberation on the Assam Cattle Preservation Act 2021. It's a powerful legislation but the issue of public consumption is not mentioned in the Act. At the Cabinet meeting, we have decided that beef will not be served in any hotel or restaurants in Assam. Also, in social gatherings like cultural and religious events, consumption of beef is prohibited," Sarma said while addressing the media today.
"We are going to include these new provisions in the Act. We believe these will also strengthen our intention to preserve cattle," he said.
The Assam Cattle Preservation Act 2021 bans cattle slaughter and sale of beef in areas where the Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs are in majority and within five km radius of their places of worship.
The Chief Minister said that the Congress leaders including Bhupen Bora and Rakibul Hussain have of late been very concerned over the beef consumption in Assam. "I hope they will cooperate with us in incorporating these new prohibitions in the existing Act," he added.
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