The Indian state of Maharashtra banned the possession and sale of beef earlier this month after President Pranab Mukherjee signed into law a two-decade old bill that was passed by the pro-Hindu BJP-Shiv Sena state assembly in 1995. The law now makes the slaughter of the cattle illegal with any person found possessing or selling this particular red meat being subject to five years of jail term and a fine of Rs 10,000. According to local media, the slaughter of cows was earlier prohibited in the state under Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, 1976.
“Thanks a lot Honorable President Sir for the assent on Maharashtra Animal Preservation Bill. Our dream of ban on cow slaughter becomes a reality now,” Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis tweeted.
Cow slaughter has long been a taboo subject in India, as Hindus consider the cow to be a sacred animal. The new law, in favour of Hindu beliefs, is expected to affect the Muslim community greatly, since many of them own beef-related businesses in the state. Critics of the ban have said the move would render thousands of people jobless and also lead to the spiraling of prices of other meats. They also believe the ban would soon be challenged in other courts.
Glyston Gracias, brand chef at Smoke House Deli, Mumbai, said, “This is extremely sad to hear. I will have to go to another country. Most of the dishes at the restaurant are based on European cuisine. A lot of our foreign clientele, such as Japanese and Europeans, will miss beef on the menu. We will also lose out on alcohol sales because beef and beer go really well. I will find it difficult to do international cuisine.”
Maharashtra’s new move was quite expected as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his election campaign last year, came out strongly against India being one of the world’s top meat exporters, ranking second only to Brazil.
“Beef exporters had some anxious moments in the build-up to May’s elections, when Modi accused the then-Congress government of staging a “pink revolution” — a reference to the meat industry and a play on the 1970s “green revolution”, which made India agriculturally self-sufficient,” read an AFP report from that time.
As of March 2014, India’s export of beef soared by 31 percent to 1.5 million tons from the previous year and it was worth Rs 264.6 billion, reported the United States Department of Agriculture.
A beef trader, Rajendra Dhende from Sangli said, “There is nearly 61 per cent fodder shortage in the state. By banning the slaughter of old and infirm animals, the government is doing grave injustice to the healthy animals and farmers of Maharashtra.”
In October 2005, the Supreme Court of India made a landmark judgment by upholding the constitutional validity of anti-cow slaughter laws that have been enacted by various state governments in the country. 24 of India’s 29 states currently have various limitations on the slaughter or sale of cow meat.
Photo Credits: Sulekha.com
