Govt bans animal slaughter in public places

Four days after taking responsibility, the BJP government in West Bengal issued a fresh notification banning animal slaughter in public places.

In the notification the state government directed all concerned authorities to strictly implement the West Bengal Animal Slaughter Control Act, 1950, across the state.

Advertisement

The notification read that it has been issued in accordance with the 6 August, 2018 judgment of the Calcutta High Court and a related government guideline issued on 8 June, 2022.

In the eight-point directive, the state government instructed all legal slaughterhouses in West Bengal to strictly comply with the provisions laid down under the law regulating animal slaughter.

According to the notification, no person will be allowed to slaughter any animal, including bulls, bullocks, cows, calves, male and female buffaloes, buffalo calves and castrated buffaloes, unless a certificate declaring the animal fit for slaughter has been obtained.

The notification comes at time when there were allegations that a particular community was slaughtering animals on the road causing inconvenience for the other people living in the neighbourhood.

The notification stated that such certificates may be jointly issued by the chairman of a municipality or the president of a panchayat samiti along with a government veterinary officer.

A certificate may be granted if the authorities are satisfied in writing that the animal is over 14 years old and is no longer suitable for breeding or work, or has become permanently incapacitated due to age, injury, deformity or disease.

It further said that if a request for such a certificate is rejected, the affected person may approach the state government within 15 days from the date of receiving the refusal.

The government also clarified that animals for which slaughter certificates have been issued can only be slaughtered at municipal slaughterhouses or at slaughterhouses designated by the local administration.

Slaughtering such animals in open public places has been strictly prohibited.

The notification added that no person will be allowed to obstruct inspections carried out under the Act by municipal chairpersons, panchayat samiti presidents, government veterinary officers or any person authorised by them for enforcement of the law.

The state government warned that violation of any provision of the West Bengal Animal Slaughter Control Act, 1950, may invite punishment of up to six months’ imprisonment or a fine of up to Rs 1,000, or both.

It also mentioned that all offences under the 1950 Act would be treated as serious in nature.

The notification also mentioned that relevant judgments of the Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court related to the matter are available on the official government website.