In Assam’s crackdown on beef, 100 eateries raided, 1,000 kg meat seized, 132 arrests

This comes in the backdrop of politics over beef and cattle taking centre stage in Assam over the past month, during which over 150 people were arrested in Dhubri alone after separate incidents of suspected cattle remains being recovered from near temples in Dhubri, Goalpara and Lakhimpur. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had alleged that the incidents were part of an attempt to create unrest “since Eid ul Zuha”.

Last month, Sarma had said the government would tighten the implementation of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021, in response to these incidents.

While the Act does not ban the consumption of beef, it has a section that prohibits the sale of beef and beef products in areas “which are predominantly inhabited by Hindu, Jain, Sikh and other non-beef eating communities or within a radius of 5 km of any temple, satra, or other religious institutions belonging to Hindu religion or any other institution or area as may be prescribed by the competent authority”. It also only allows the sale of beef or beef products at places “permitted to do so by the competent authority”.

Last December, Sarma had announced a complete ban on the public consumption of beef in the state, including at restaurants and community gatherings. However, a legislation or legislative amendment to this end has not been passed yet.

The raids on Tuesday took place across all parts of the state. In Dibrugarh, the biggest town in eastern Assam, SSP V V Rakesh Reddy said three eateries were raided as of Tuesday evening. “It is a crackdown against beef selling and to implement the Assam Cattle Preservation Act. We raided three hotels in the town and collected 15 kg of suspected beef from them. We also picked up three individuals. One of the eateries was operating right in front of a Kali temple. Such searches will continue,” he said.

In central Assam’s Nagaon district, SP Swapnaneel Deka said that 16 people had been apprehended as of Tuesday evening after raids in 15 eateries.

These raids have also been reported from other districts, including Hojai, Kamrup, Kokrajhar, Darrang, and Morigaon.