Allegations against West Bengal demonstrates to be a Boomerang for the Assam Chief Minister.

In the third week of May, 2021, the newly appointed Chief Minister of Assam had flayed the West Bengal Government after the ‘Cattle Smuggling’ incident was unearthed.

The Chief Minister had said “The Assam government will take all necessary steps within the ambit of the constitution to protect cows in the state. Cow is our mother and to protect cow in Assam, the state government will take every step. We will not allow the smuggling of cows from West Bengal”.

The honourable Governor of Assam – Mr. Jagdish Mukhi had voiced that, “We will adopt a zero – tolerance policy and enforce stringent punishment for offenders. We all revere and worship cows. It is considered a sacred animal as it nurtures us through milk. In fact, it is a symbol of the divine bounty of the earth. I am happy to inform you that my government plans to introduce the Cow Protection Bill in the next Assembly session”.

Adding woos to the worries of the Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the cattle smugglers in Assam are now using courier service mini trucks as the new mode of transportation of cattle from Assam to Meghalaya. This illegal transportation of cattle delivery was unearthed by members of the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC), a pressure group in Meghalaya, at the Anti-Infiltration Check-gate of the Meghalaya Police at Byrnihat in Ri-Bhoi district on June 30.

The mini-truck, bearing Assam registration number AS-01-RC-7779, was allegedly ferrying nine head of cattle cramped in the airless compartment from Assam without any valid documents for interstate transportation. The transporters also failed to produce the mandatory paperwork for interstate transportation of livestock; besides, they also didn’t possess a health certificate from competent state authorities to confirm if the animals were fit for human consumption.

“We failed to understand or comprehend how such transportation is being permitted within the state without following the due process of laws”, HYC President Roy Kuper Synrem said. He added that this illegal transportation of cattle violates several statutory provisions like the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960; the Transport of Animals Rules, 1978 (as amended), and the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

Meanwhile, the HYC has urged the Director of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Department to immediately probe the matter and ensure that all animal transportation —both into and within the state—adheres strictly to the law. The Council is also demanding the implementation of existing Standard Operating Procedures and stricter vigilance at border checkpoints.

The much hyped Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021 – which prohibits inter state transport of cattle to and from, as well as through Assam without valid documents was primarily to stop cattle smuggling, is now proving the CM of Assam is “between the devil and the deep sea”.

Team Maverick