New Delhi: The Karnataka government had earlier this week passed Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill 2020, also known as the anti-cow slaughter Bill in the state. The amended Bill seeks a blanket ban on cow slaughter, and consumption, sale and transportation of beef in the state.
About The Anti-Cow Slaughter Act
The most stringent provision of this Bill is awarding maximum imprisonment of up to seven years and minimum of three years to those found involved in slaughter or smuggling, illegal transportation and atrocities on cattle. Besides this, the Bill has also prescribed a fine amount which may extend from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh.
The Bill also states that a competent authority will be constituted to monitor atrocities on cattle, receive complaints as well as to issue permits to transportation of cattle.
Apart from this, the Bill seeks to establish special sessions court in all the districts to deal with cattle atrocity cases and set up ‘Gaushalas’ (cow shelters) across the state.
Concerns Over the New Act
The Act seems to have not gone down will with the common masses. One person, talking to news channel NDTV, reasoned that “Muslims do not drink alcohol. But they have never requested any government to ban alcohol because it is against our religion. We have never requested Christians not to eat pork.”
Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Janata Dal (S) party leader H.D. Kumaraswamy has warned that the new anti-cow slaughter Bill if implemented will impact milk production across the state.
“This is because the Bill does not appear to have taken measures to protect farmers, who actually protect and nurture cattle. Other people may merely worship cows, but it is only the farmer who nurtures, protects and worships them too. But his interests are conveniently forgotten while framing this Bill,” he said.
The Congress in the state is of the opinion that the Act hurts interests of farmers. The party also targeted BJP for trying to polarise communities just ahead of local elections.
“The entire bill is against farmers. They are trying to polarise (people). The farming community which has been breeding cattle has been affected. They did not discuss… they brought it urgently because of gram panchayat (local body) elections… trying to saffronise things,” NDTV quoted DK Shivakumar, the chief of the Congress’s state unit, as saying.
The Opposition parties, Congress and Janata Dal (S), also boycotted the legislative session on Thursday after the ruling BJP on Wednesday pushed through the contentious Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill 2020.
Meanwhile, BJP-ruled Karnataka has also decided to introduce laws against “love jihad”. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwathnarayan has said that the state government is in process of bringing bills against the said offence.
(With agency inputs)