Guwahati (Assam) [India], July 3 : Assam Police have arrested 205 individuals across the state following a series of coordinated raids targeting establishments suspected of violating the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021, authorities said.
The operation, which began on July 1, covered 191 hotels, restaurants, and slaughterhouses.
Akhilesh Kumar Singh, Inspector General of Police (L&O) of Assam police, speaking to ANI over the phone, said, "The drive in connection with Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021 was started from July 1, and so far 205 persons have been apprehended across the state."
He added, "The raids were conducted in 191 hotels, restaurants, and houses. During the raids, police seized 1974 kg of beef."
He further stated that this is a statewide initiative, and it will continue.
The Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021 prohibits slaughter and sale of beef in the inhabited areas of Hindu, Jain, Sikh and other non-beef-eating communities or within a radius of 5 km of any Hindu temple, Satra, Namghar and other Hindu religious institutions.
According to the Assam police, the drive was conducted in various districts of the state, including Nagaon, Dibrugarh, Kamrup, Dhubri, and Goalpara.
On June 20, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that the Act would be strictly enforced, and he directed all District Commissioners to enforce it strictly.
On the issue of communal harmony, the Chief Minister said, "After Eid, a section is trying to harm communal harmony in a few places in Assam, first Dhubri, then Lakhipur, Lakhimpur, Goalpara and now in Hojai."
Referring to the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, he said, "According to our Cattle Preservation Act, no one can eat or sell beef within a radius of 5 km where a Hindu temple, a Namghar, is situated. Within a radius of 5 km, the eating and selling of beef is completely prohibited."
We direct the district administration to impose the Cattle Preservation Act strictly. We have decided to implement the 5 km radius section of the act strictly, and I think this will become a permanent solution to the entire process," he said.
"We will send a SoP to the district administration so that there will be no kurbani in future within a radius of 5 km from the temple, namghar. Any religious institute, the state government will implement it strictly. Kurbani of this special animal--Not be allowed," he added.
"I have asked all DCs to survey the sensitive areas (tribal belt and block, VGR, PGR areas) to make a list of people where non Indigenous Assamese people, non-ST, SC, OBC people are living (less than three generations)," the Chief Minister said.