Senior Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury on Sunday sought the intervention of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari over the state government’s public notice on animal slaughter guidelines, as it has caused “confusion and unrest”, particularly among the minority community in Murshidabad district.
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Chowdhury, in a letter to Adhikari, said the public notice issued by the state government on May 13 regarding adherence to “Animal Slaughter Guidelines” has caused confusion and unrest in Murshidabad, where the minority community constitutes the majority of the population.
Suggesting a practical resolution, Chowdhury asked the chief minister to direct the Murshidabad district administration to identify and demarcate specific locations where people could practise customs associated with their religious faith.
“Such identified and demarcated locations would be used solely for customary practises associated with the religious grouping. This approach will be an ideal solution for putting to rest the unease the notice may be causing,” he wrote.
The May 13 notice reiterates that no slaughter of bulls, bullocks, cows, calves or male and female buffaloes can take place without an officially issued fitness certificate, which can only be jointly granted by the chairman of a municipality or the Sabhapati of a panchayat samiti along with a government veterinary surgeon.
According to the notification, such a certificate may be granted only if both authorities record in writing that the animal is either over 14 years of age for work or breeding purposes, or has become permanently incapacitated due to age, injury, deformity or incurable disease.
Noting that West Bengal is a state with multifarious groups and communities following varied cultural traditions and religious practices, Chowdhury said enabling people of different communities to practise their socio-religious customs without any misgivings was essential.
“I look forward to your intervention so that the unease and confusion being caused in the district is put to rest,” he said in the letter addressed to Adhikari.
