April 3, 2017 | By Sikh Siyasat Bureau
Gandhinagar: With on going crackdown over illegal slaughter houses in the Hindutva outfit BJP ruled state of Uttar Pradesh on one hand the state of Gujarat on the other hand here on last Friday has amended the state’s Animal Preservation Bill to entail a maximum punishment of life imprisonment and a minimum of 10 years for cow slaughter after it was passed in the assembly in the absence of the Opposition Congress.
The passage of bill preceded the violent incidents against Dalits almost eight months ago in which seven dalit boys were roughed up by self style cow vigilantes for alleged cow slaughter in Una. The punishment for cow slaughter under the earlier law was imprisonment ranging from three to seven years. The new law also makes offences under the amended Act non-bailable.
The media sources indicate that the amendment was cleared after the Speaker suspended members of the Congress for allegedly creating a ruckus when the Bill was passed. Speaking on the amendment, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani claimed that, “I am not against any food.” Declaring that he wanted to make Gujarat “shakahari (vegetarian)”, Rupani said, “We do not want Jersey cows, but Gir and Kankreji cows instead.”
Furthermore he reportedly described Gujarat as a “unique state”, which purportedly followed the tenets of Mahatma Gandhi — “non-violence and truth”. “This is Gandhi’s Gujarat, Sardar’s (Vallabhbhai Patel) Gujarat and (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi’s Gujarat,” said Rupani.
During the discussion on the Bill, Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja said, “This is not a Bill, but a feeling of crores of Indians (Hindus) . It is my humble attempt to give voice to the cows being killed by butchers. A single drop of cow blood falling on earth pains Hindus. With this law, Vijaybhai Rupani’s government will make Gujarat cow-slaughter-free,” reads a qoute published in the English vernacular.
Furthermore, the corresponding bill also included a provision that vehicles caught in transporting cows, beef or beef products illegally will be forfeited to the state government. The maximum fine for the offence has also been increased from Rs 50,000 to one ranging from Rs 1 lakh-Rs 5 lakh, notes the Indian Express (IE).
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Related Topics: BJP, Cow Slaughter, Gujarat, Hindutva