Ahead of the upcoming Eid al-Adha, West Bengal’s BJP government has imposed tighter rules on the sale and slaughter of cows. In response, several clerics and imams across the state have called on Muslims not to use cows for sacrifice. But in some places across the country, Hindus have protested to demand that Muslims be allowed to sacrifice cows.
On May 13, the West Bengal Home Department issued a directive saying cows, bulls, calves and buffalo could not be slaughtered without government permission. Before slaughter, a joint certificate from the municipal chairman or panchayat head and a government veterinarian is required. The directive said only animals older than 14 years or those unfit could be slaughtered. Violators face prison and fines.
Maulana Shafique Qasmi, imam of Kolkata’s historic Nakhoda Mosque, urged Muslims not to sacrifice cows. “I will tell my Muslim brothers not to sacrifice cows. They should even stop eating beef,” he said.
Pirzada Ziauddin Siddiqui of Hooghly’s Furfura Sharif made similar comments. “Hindus worship the cow. We can sacrifice goats or sheep,” he said.
A report by India’s Aaj Tak channel showed Hindu men and women in Bhangar, South 24 Parganas, protesting the Kolkata High Court decision halting cow sacrifice. “We do not accept the ban on the sacrifice tradition. We will not accept it. The state government has stopped the sacrifice rule, and we reject that. Cows must be allowed to be sold,” they said.
A BBC Bangla report said most of Bamunia village in 24 Parganas are Hindu farmers. They had taken loans from various NGOs to set up cattle farms, planning to repay those loans by selling cows before Eid al-Adha. They have done this for several years. But this time, no one is buying cows because of the law issued by the Suvendu government. The Hindu farmers said Muslims should at least be allowed to sacrifice cows this year so they can sell their cattle and repay the loans.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report