The Assam Cattle Preservation Act will be strictly enforced in all districts of the state to prevent availability and consumption of beef within a five km radius of religious places of worship, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.
''The availability and consumption of beef during the recent Eid festival despite the ban within a 5 km radius of temples and other places of worship is a very serious matter. In this regard, we will take strict action under the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021'', Sarma said at a press conference here.
After the Eid Uz Zuha festival this year, it has been seen that in some areas of sensitive districts like Dhubri, Goalpara and Hojai, several attempts have been made to create disturbances by throwing body parts, particularly skulls near temples and prayer halls, he said.
Sarma said that it has been observed that these have occurred near localities where beef consumption during Eid is common and all are within the restricted area of 5 km radius of places of religious worship.
''This has been in clear violation of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act which clearly states that beef consumption or its sale and distribution is banned within a radius of 5 km of religious places of worship. The concerned district administrations did not enforce this provision strictly leading to this situation'', he said.
If people had been made aware of the 5 km restrictions, these incidents could have been avoided, he added.
''I have directed all district commissioners to strictly implement the Act and ensure that slaughter, sale or consumption of beef is banned within the restricted area'', he said.
In places like Lakhimpur and Lakhipur in Goalpara district, it has been seen that these incidents have occurred in areas classified as tribal belts and blocks of Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) and Professional Grazing Reserve (PGR) where in many cases, people have occupied the land illegally, Sarma said.
''Even the leader of the opposition had said in the assembly that immigrants who came after a certain year cannot legally occupy or claim the land as their own. I have directed district commissioners and additional district commissioners to conduct a survey in these areas to identify those people whose families have not lived in Assam for at least three generations and prepare a list of all those people living in tribal belt, block or in VGR/PGR, particularly in the sensitive areas which will help us to take necessary legal action'', he said.
On Wednesday, seven persons were arrested following the alleged recovery of three cow skulls, approximately 30 metres from a 'Namghar' (prayer hall), in Lakhimpur district.
Recently, shoot-at-sight orders at night were issued in Dhubri where a day after the Bakrid, a cow's head was found in front of the Hanuman Temple and again the next day, another skull was found again there along with incidents of stone pelting reported.
On June 8, Sarma had said that a number of cattle were allegedly slaughtered illegally at several places during the Bakrid festival and parts of the meat were thrown at multiple locations across Assam.
Police have so far arrested over 60 people with over 50 in Dhubri alone in connection with illegal slaughter of cows with the intention of creating communal disturbances in the state.