By Ratan Bhattacharjee
Hindu hardliners once again turn cow-vigilantes. Earlier this week Pehlu Khan 55 had died in hospital two days after a group attacked his cattle truck on a road in Alwar in the desert state of Rajasthan. The Chief Minister Yogi Adinath is all out for cracking down on cow slaughter houses in Uttar Pradesh after the Modi government instituted limits on beef in a ban–mania in India which is one of the large exporter of beef internationally. In Gujarat, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said that slaughtering cows and transporting beef will soon be punishable with life sentence and a Bill will be introduced shortly to bolster existing laws against cow slaughter.
After Demonetisation , this is the most debatable step the Modi government has taken in giving a jerk to the nation. This will undoubtedly have far reaching effects. Uncertainty has gripped the country once again. While wild horses which are national symbols in the US were allowed to be sold or euthanised for slaughter in the Trump budget, in India cow-lovers have got their heyday after the ban on cow-slaughter. Animal lovers in America justified saying that the money that will come after selling horses for slaughter will go towards care for other animals.
In 21 out of 29 states cow slaughter is banned. There are no restrictions on cow slaughter in Kerala , West Bengal and in the North Eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim. In Manipur, the Maharaja in 1939 decreed prosecution for cow slaughter, but beef is consumed widely. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana slaughter of cows and calves is prohibited . Bulls and bullocks can be killed against ‘fit for slaughter’ certificates, issued if the animal can no longer be used for breeding, draught or agricultural operations. Violators face six months jail and/ or Rs. 1000 fine. In Assam, cow slaughter is banned on issue of ‘fit for slaughter’ certificate at designated places. In Bihar cow slaughter is banned. But slaughter of bulls and bullocks older than fifteen years is allowed. Killing a cow or storing, serving , eating beef are all banned in Chandigarh. Eating meat of buffalo , bullock, ox etc. is banned.
From Kerala to West Bengal to Puducherry three Chief Ministers came out strongly against the restrictions on the sale of cow for slaughter and they declared they are not ready to follow the diktat regarding cow slaughter. Beef -eating fests were observed in IIT Madras and other places and the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee went to the extent of calling the decision as ‘unconstitutional.’ Calf slaughter was banned in Maharashtra in 1975 and now it is extended to bulls and bullocks. This move was earlier initiated by Sena –BJP government nearly two decades ago. But in Mumbai itself nine lakh kg of beef is consumed daily!
The Bill for ban on sale of cows for slaughter has got the President’s approval. Beef had been a part of the Indian dietary tradition. In Charak’s Sushruta Sanhita, beef soup is advised for tuberculosis. Beef ban comes in with the Hindutva politics in general and its dietary importance for poor Dalits, Adivasis and tribals is being underestimated although it is the cheapest and very rich source of protein. It is interesting that the Tamil Brahmins are mostly engaged in the beef exporting industry. Ban on cow slaughter will affect the economy and many people will be affected including those dealing with cow hide which is very important for the leather industry.
One supports that animals should be treated with respect and love. But then why only the cow and not other animals when it offends their religious beliefs? For example killing of pigs hurts the sentiments of the Muslims. But no ban is imposed on sale of pigs for slaughter. Our economic and biological cycle is mixed and dietary habits do not afford the animals not to be killed for human consumption . Banning it today is high handed political agenda. Or this ban should be applicable to buffaloes, goats and other animals too. Government has not spoken of any cheap alternatives to beef. Moreover it affects individual choices and a ban is unthinkable in a democratic country.
A few days earlier many intellectuals faced life threats as they supported beef eating. Hindus are 79% of the total population and all Hindus do not follow uniform rules and rites. Many Hindus do not even feel that beef eating is harmful or undesirable or anti –Hindu. Abuse of animals is detrimental to the environment but that is applicable to all the animals. Cow slaughter on that issue is not much convincing. Respecting sentiments is important in a pluralistic democracy. But this logic too cannot justify the ban on cow slaughter. Most Hindus honour cows as the embodiment of the principle of non-violence and idealise the animal as a selfless , nourishing mother. But attitudes towards beef consumption are not uniform across the country and some South Indian Hindus regularly eat beef . By justifying it on agro –economics no one can fully implement the hidden BJP agenda. There are no concrete assurances for rehabilitation of people affected by this programme. With the aggressive support of Shiv Sena and RSS , the government of a secular democratic republic is playing with fire and after the Babri Masjid demolition this is the most unthinking and undemocratic step taken in secular India only to remind us that we live in the ‘acche din’ of a ‘Ram Rajya’.The author is Associate Professor and Head of the Post Graduate Dept of English, Dum Dum Motijheel College , Kolkata. Contact: [email protected]