Darul Uloom, Deoband - ‘Abide by cow slaughter law’

[Hindustani78]

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/616962/meghalaya-passes-resolution-opposing-centres.html

The Meghalaya Assembly today unanimously passed a resolution opposing the Centre's notification banning the sale and purchase of cattle at animal markets for slaughter and demanded its withdrawal as it would "impact the economy of the state and the food habit of its people". Cutting across political lines, the members of the Assembly supported the resolution tabled by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma.

"This House takes a strong note of the shortcomings and infirmities in these Rules (Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Regulation of Livestock Markets Rules, 2017), as notified and resolves that the same may be withdrawn by Government of India with an immediate effect, so as to maintain the federal and secular character of our Constitution or be faced with a situation where the law prohibits some activity, while the everyday-life practices it on a large-scale due to harsh economic realities, a situation surely to be avoided at all costs," the resolution read.

The notification, it said, "travels way beyond the scope and object as set out in the Preamble of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960", thus infringing the rights of the states to regulate the items enlisted in the State List (List-II of VII Schedule to the Constitution of India).

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had issued the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017 on May 23.

Sangma, introducing the resolution, alleged that the notification was "designed to affect" the people of the north-east in general and Meghalaya in particular.

It suffered from "serious shortcomings and infirmities" and could have an "adverse impact on the economy and culture" of the state of Meghalaya, he added.

The chief minister said beef was an "integral part" of the dietary habit of the tribals of Meghalaya and its demand in the state in 2015-2016 was 23,634 metric tonnes. Beef production in the state was only 12,834 MT and 10,800 MT was purchased from outside, he added.

Sangma told the House that to balance the demand and supply of beef, the government had put in place the Meghalaya State Livestock Mission for 2017-2022 to augment the livestock production.

The prohibition on the sale and purchase of cattle at animal markets for the purpose of slaughter would affect the livelihood of over 5.7 lakh (79%) households, which were currently involved in cattle-rearing, he added.

"It will also affect the right of the people to have food of their own choice and celebrate the religious, cultural and social ceremonies in practice since time immemorial," said Sangma.

Referring to the India Health Report on Nutrition 2015, which surveyed under-nutrition in children (the national average is 38.7%), the chief minister said, "The prevalence of stunting in children under five years of age is rampant in Meghalaya at 42.9 per cent."

The state, he said, was addressing the issue of nutrition security by providing a mixed diet in the mid-day meals in schools, which as of today lacked non-vegetarian food.

The Rules were in contravention of section 38 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 as they went "beyond its scope". They were also in contravention of section 28 (of the same Act), which contemplated the killing of certain animals, subject to the provisions of the Cattle Preservation Act, said Sangma.

Referring to rule 8 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017, which prohibited the functioning of an animal market within 25 kms of a state border or 50 kms of an international border, the chief minister said Meghalaya shared a 443-km-long international border with Bangladesh and an over-800-km-long inter-state border with Assam.

"This will result in large-scale disruption of the economy, including livelihoods at the border areas, since Rule 2(e) specifically defines 'cattle' to include bovine animals, bulls, bullocks, cows, buffaloes, steers, heifers and camels," he added.

Referring to Rule 22, which placed restrictions on the sale and purchase of cattle and prohibited bringing of cattle to the animal market for slaughter, Sangma said it was a "major embargo crippling the economy of a predominantly tribal society" with an over-85-per cent indigenous population.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...-bjp-on-cattle-trade-rule/article19031664.ece



Militants turned BJP local leaders in Meghalaya reject cow politics, leave the party
For nearly 15 years, Bernard Marak led a fight against the Indian Union as the elusive chairman of an insurgent outfit demanding a separate homeland. He claims was “a contented man” while operating as a militant. However, two-and-a-half years after signing an agreement with the Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP]-led government and disbanding his outfit, Mr. Marak is “confused and somewhat saddened.” The reason, he says, is a notification.

The problem started with the May 23 notification of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change which says that the cattle buyer “shall…not sell the animal for purpose of slaughter.” The provision has confused the 41-year-old software engineer, also a custodian of indigenous Garo people’s land. He joined the BJP after bidding a farewell to arms.

“What is the notification expected to mean,” asks the former district president of the BJP in Tura, who resigned after the notification.

“To be precise, I resigned after an altercation with a national level BJP leader, who said that there are 11,000 members of which 10,000 does not consume beef. I was asked to respect their rights,” Mr. Marak said. “But what about the choice of lakhs of Garos of Meghalaya, who consume beef, I asked. To which, I was suggested to start my own party.” Mr. Marak’s desertion was followed by a series of resignations from the BJP – many from his cadres in the outlawed A’chik National Volunteer Council-Breakaway [ANVC-B].

Bernard Marak

Bachu Marak, North Garo Hills district president for BJP and too, left BJP. The incident has saddened Mr. Bernard Marak as BJP brought hundreds of militants back to civilian life. Congress had refused to talk to the militants since ANVC was proscribed in 2000.

“But BJP did speak to us within six months of coming to power and by December 2014 we dissolved both ANVC and ANVC-B; about 1000 of us laid down arms and eventually joined the BJP and we are grateful,” Mr. Marak said.

Following the ANVC surrender, BJP managed to instill confidence among the Garos, who decide the fate of 24 out of 60 Assembly seats in Meghalaya in the Garo Hills division. “We thought it is not a Hindu party, but like any other political party and so we joined it,” said Mr. Bachu Marak, a businessman. The friendliness of Garos helped BJP and it bagged a seat in 2015 in 30-member Garo Hills Autonomous District Council and the Maraks started to build the party from the scratch. However, the disillusionment of the former militants may affect the BJP in the Assembly election of 2018, feels Mr. Bachu Marak

“And the ban on cow slaughter is responsible,” said Mr. Bachu Marak, who left the BJP within a week of Mr. Bernerd Marak’s resignation.

He was inducted in BJP for his skills in organising programmes, and he lost his job for the same set of skills. “I organised a beer and beef festival and they warned me,” he said. Like Mr. Bernerd, he also denied being “sacked” and mailed his resignation letter in which he claims that he is resigning from the party “for dishonouring” his “culture and traditional practices.” Both the Maraks said that beef is “an essential part of a Christian and Garo culture” and a ban on slaughter is “an infringement” on the cultural rights of the indigenous people.

Mr. Marak claims that following their resignation “many thousands” of supporters left the BJP in 16 of 24 Assembly constituencies in the Garo Hills where the Maraks and their friends are active, which would “hurt BJP.” Independent sources claim as many as 5000 BJP supporters have left the party following the ban on slaughter, which, however, could not be implemented. Congress-led Meghalaya Assembly rejected the ban on Monday.

BJP’s district president Shibun Lyngdoh, however, said that no one other then two Maraks and one youth member have left the party. “So it would in no way affect party’s poll prospects in 2018,” he said on phone from Delhi. Moreover he accused the former presidents for their fate. “They have not formed the internal party committees and was about to be removed, they were aware,” he said.

“They were also keen to avail party tickets which they felt were not coming their way so they cut an excuse in the name of beef ban,” said Mr. Lyngdoh. He said the new entrants in the party also made the “old members” like the Maraks “feel insecure.” The Maraks denied the allegations and stuck to their version and even issued a warning. “If BJP keeps trying to change the cultural practices, it would only encourage militancy in the North East,” Mr. Bernerd Marak said.

 

[Hindustani78]

AICC member A.K. Antony releases a book by Jairam Ramesh titled ‘Indira Gandhi: A Life in Nature’ by handing over a copy to poet Sugathakumari at a function in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. S. MAHINSHA

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/end-athirappilly-debate-antony/article19050632.ece

LDF has decided not to include project on agenda, says Kanam
Congress Working Committee member A.K. Antony has called for an end to the debate on the Athirappilly hydel project in view of the environmental consequences for the State.

Addressing a function organised by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and the Bodheswaran Foundation here on Wednesday for the release of a book titled Indira Gandhi: A life in Nature authored by Jairam Ramesh, he said Kerala today could not afford to have new hydel projects like Athirappilly.

Five hours

Reiterating his party’s position on the issue, CPI State secretary Kanam Rajendran said the LDF committee had discussed the Athirappilly project for over five hours before deciding not to include it in the manifesto.

The CPI and CPI(M) had also discussed the issue in detail.

Mr. Antony released the book by handing over a copy to writer and environmental activist Sugathakumari.

In his address, Jairam Ramesh said no other Prime Minister came close to Indira Gandhi in caring for the environment. She educated the political class and the bureaucracy and sensitised them to the need for environmental protection. Notwithstanding her image as a tough political leader, the real Indira Gandhi was a naturalist and conservationist, he said. Recalling her intervention to put the brakes on the Silent Valley project in Kerala, Mr. Ramesh said she had remained mindful of the need to develop alternative power sources.

He revealed that the issue of cow slaughter had emerged as a crisis for Indira Gandhi way back in 1966 when a crowd of sadhus attacked Parliament, leading to the resignation of the then Union Home Minister following deaths in police firing. Ms. Gandhi had set up a committee with RSS leader M.S. Golwalker and two Sankaracharyas as members to look into the issue of a national ban on cow slaughter. The committee never submitted its report and it was disbanded by Morarji Desai 12 years later, he said.

The book focusses on Indira Gandhi’s relatively little known passion for nature and concern for the environment and her tireless efforts to forge a conservation policy.

Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, MLAs V.T. Balaram and M.K. Muneer, KPCC president M.M. Hassan, Gandhian Gopinathan Nair, and Administrative Reforms Committee member C.P. Nair were also present.

 

[Hindustani78]

This is the first time the ruling party in Nagaland has taken an official stand on Centre’s notification banning cattle trade in animal markets for the purpose of slaughter.
Updated: Jun 15, 2017 20:28 IST
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...ells-centre/story-MzouXjkdS7dbSxQvkzpfyM.html

The ruling Nagaland People’s Front (NPF) in Nagaland has asked the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre to refrain from imposing restrictions on the dietary habits of the people.

A resolution in this regard was adopted at the central executive council (CEC) meeting of NPF at Dimapur on Wednesday. The BJP is a minor partner of the NPF-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) government in the state.

“The CEC resolves to urge the (state) government to take up with the central government to desist from imposing restrictions on the dietary habits of the people,” said a statement issued by the party.

This is the first time the ruling party in Nagaland has taken an official stand on Centre’s notification banning cattle trade in animal markets for the purpose of slaughter.

Despite assurances by senior BJP leaders that there would be no curbs on food habits, opposition to the notification continues in Christian-dominated Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram, where consumption of beef is common.

Assembly elections are due in all three states, where consumption of beef is common, next year.

“The culinary preferences of the Naga people, along with their traditional, religious and customary practices (should not be) infringed upon by any unilateral decision of the central government,” the resolution added.

NPF is part of the BJP-led anti-Congress front, North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), and also the partner of the saffron party-led government in Manipur.

Earlier this month, Meghalaya’s North Garo Hills district president of the party, Bachu C Marak, resigned accusing the BJP of “dishonouring my culture and traditional practices”. He followed Bernard N Marak, West Garo Hills district president, who quit after the BJP’s senior leadership shut down his plans of a beef party.

 

[prashantazazel]

Yesterday, an Indian Muslim got hurt when I used some similar words..

Indian Muslims.. lolllll..

Muslims have attacked several non muslims on multiple occasions if they married a Muslim girl.
Be secular, if you want secularism.

 

[Hindustani78]

Muslims have attacked several non muslims on multiple occasions if they married a Muslim girl.
Be secular, if you want secularism.

Indian Military protects Indians irrespective of thier religions.

Jammu and Kashmir Floods

All available resources of the Indian Armed Forces, Assam Government, NDRF, Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA)

 

[Divergent]

Highest B-town actors eat beef, but keep it discreet despite being Hindus. Yes there are non-religious Hindus as well in India who eat whatever they desire so is this not deliberate target of just attacking a particular Faith considering people of other Faiths still indulge in it?

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...city-limits/article22529944.ece?homepage=true

The government said the slaughterhouses were being shifted out of cities from the viewpoint of environment and hygiene.

Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik has given approval to the Yogi Adityanath government’s proposal to shift abattoirs outside city limits which would effectively ban slaughtering of animals in city shops.

The state government had forwarded the ordinances, the Uttar Pradesh Nagar Nigam (Amendment) Bill, 2018 and Uttar Pradesh Nagar Palika (Amendment) Bill, 2018 to the governor.

The state cabinet on January 17 amended decades old municipal laws and passed two bills under which all slaughterhouses would have to operate from outside the limits of a city. The municipal corporations (Nagar Nigams) and municipal boards (Nagar Palikas) were also stripped of their powers to construct and run slaughterhouses and will now merely “regulate” them.

The government said the slaughterhouses were being shifted out of cities from the viewpoint of environment and hygiene.

“As the Legislative Assembly is not in session at present and considering the urgency of the subject, the Governor has given approval to the proposals of the cabinet, subject to law,” said a statement from the Raj Bhawan.

The UP government struck off Sections 237 and 238 of the Uttar Pradesh Nagar Palika Act, 1916 and Sections 29 and 30 of the Uttar Pradesh Nagar Nigam Act, 1959 arguing that they were in “direct conflict” with provisions of central laws on prevention of cruelty against animals and the Food safety Act, 2006.

The government has removed the word “slaughterhouse” from Sections 114 (21) and 422 of the UP Nagar Nigam Act, 1961. These provisions mention construction and maintenance of slaughterhouses among the “obligatory duties and powers” of the corporation and corporation authorities. Sections 429 and 430 of the Act, which deal with the municipal commissioner allowing corporation slaughterhouses and licensed private slaughterhouses to slaughter animals, including those not intended for sale, have been struck off.

According to the Raj Bhawan, Sections 429 and 430 of the Municipal Corporation Act have an “overriding effect” on the Food Safety Act, 2006 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. The state government also removed the word slaughterhouse from Section 7 (1) H of the UP Nagar Palika Act, 1916 while striking off Sections 237 and 238, which also deal with allowing slaughtering to licensed private slaughterhouses and corporation slaughterhouses.

The cabinet’s decision and approval by the governor come a few days ahead of the likely pronouncement of a verdict on January 31 by the Allahabad High Court in the appeal against shutting down of slaughterhouses by the Yogi Adityanath government.

The All India Jamiatul Quresh, body of Qureshis, traditional Muslim butcher community, has said the decision to shift abattoirs outsidecity limits without making provisions for designated places for slaughtering of animals would not only lead to a rise in prices but also affect the supply of meat as well as hurt livelihood of those employed in the industry. Since the clampdown on abattoirs by the Yogi Adityanath government last year, only three state-run slaughterhouses are presently functional in UP, in Bareilly, Agra and Saharanpur.

Mr Qureshi said that existing norms laid down by the NGT and CPCB already mandated that the slaughterhouses be set up away from settlements and the decision of the UP cabinet was only to send a “political message.”

“The government has already issued tenders for setting up three new abattoirs in UP as per the PPP model. The new slaughterhouses in recent times are all coming up outside the city limits. So the government's decision is baffling and shows it has no clue on how to handle this,” said Mr. Qureshi.

Mr. Qureshi also said that certain clauses of the municipality acts made it a "compulsory duty" of the municipality corporations and boards to fulfill the demand and supply of meat.

He found it odd that on the one hand the government had submitted before the Allahabad High Court that it was modernizing slaughterhouses while on the other it was banning slaughter houses within the city.

Ashfaq Qureshi, another meat seller, rued that stripping away the powers of the municipal corporations and boards regarding slaughterhouses would lead to a huge loss in their revenue.

“The government's motive seems to be that it wants to further the interests of industrialists and open up space for them in the trade,” said Qureshi.

 

[jamahir]

The All India Jamiatul Quresh, body of Qureshis, traditional Muslim butcher community, has said the decision to shift abattoirs outsidecity limits without making provisions for designated places for slaughtering of animals would not only lead to a rise in prices but also affect the supply of meat as well as hurt livelihood of those employed in the industry. Since the clampdown on abattoirs by the Yogi Adityanath government last year, only three state-run slaughterhouses are presently functional in UP, in Bareilly, Agra and Saharanpur.

I wonder how this will affect the small-scale chicken and mutton shops. Or is this not connected at all.

 

[Hindustani78]

Representational image. | Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...d-rajasthan/article22553389.ece?homepage=true

Tushar Gandhi, great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, in his contempt petition, says the three States had not complied with the court order.

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the governments of Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to respond to a plea seeking contempt action against the States for not complying with the court’s order to take stern steps against cow vigilantism.

A Bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, acting on a contempt petition filed by Tushar Gandhi, the great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, asked the States to respond by April 3.

Stern measures
On September 6 last year, the apex court had asked all the States to take stern measures to stop violence in the name of cow protection, including appointing of senior police officers as nodal officer in every district within a week and acting promptly to check cow vigilantes from behaving like they are “law unto themselves.”

Observing that such acts of violence “must stop,” it had directed the States to form a dedicated task force in each district. It had asked their chief secretaries to file status report giving details of actions taken by them to prevent incidents of cow vigilantism.

“The senior police officer shall take prompt action and ensure that vigilante groups and such people are prosecuted with quite promptitude,” the top court had said.

It had observed that the people “should not take law into their own hands” and that “they should not behave as if they were law unto themselves.”

The court had further asked the Centre to respond to the submission that it could issue directions under Article 256 (obligation of States and Union) of the Constitution to all State governments on issues related to law and order. It had said that “some kind of planned action is required so that vigilantism does not grow” and efforts have to be made to stop such acts. It had directed the States to ensure highway patrolling after it was pointed out that such incidents mostly took place there on the pretext that vehicles were carrying beef.