More than 100 eateries in Assam were raided on Tuesday, and police said more than 1,000 kg of suspected beef was confiscated, in a state-wide crack against unauthorized sales of beef in eateries.
Assam IGP (Law and Order) Akhilesh Kumar Singh told The Indian Express The 112 eateries were searched across the state till 8 pm on Tuesday night, after which 132 people were caught and 1,084 kg suspected beef was seized.
It comes under the backdrop of politics on beef and cattle on the center stage in Assam in the last one month, during which more than 150 people were arrested in Dhubri alone after separate incidents of suspected cattle remains near temples in Dhubri, Golpara and Lakhimpur. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma alleged that the incidents were part of an attempt to create unrest since “Eid ul Juha”.
Last month, Sarma had said that the government would tighten the implementation of the Assam Animal Protection 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 that mainly residing in Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and other non-express communities or 5 km of any temple, Satra, or 5 km of other religious institutions and are associated with any other institutions or any other institutions. This only allows the sale of beef or beef products at locations by “permission to do so by the competent authority.
Last December, Sarma announced a complete ban on public consumption of beef in the state, which included restaurants and community ceremonies. However, a law or legislative amendment at this end has not yet been passed.
The raids on Tuesday took place in all parts of the state. In Dibrugar, the largest city in East Assam, SSP VV Rakesh Reddy said that three eateries were raided till Tuesday evening. “This is a rift against the sale of beef and to implement the Assam Cattle Protection Act. We raided three hotels in the city and collected 15 kg of suspected beef from them. We also picked up three persons. One of the restaurants was doing the right thing in front of the Kali temple. Such discovery will continue.”
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In Nagaon district of Central Assam, SP Swapnell Deka said 16 people were caught by Tuesday evening after a raid in 15 eateries.
These raids have also been reported from other districts, including Hojai, Kamup, Kokrajhar, Darang and Morigone.
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