Assam Police Recovers 24 Cattle Heads From Truck In Nagaon, Two Arrested

The smugglers, identified as Sarkar Ali and Hasan Ali stated that they were moving the cattle to the Jorabat region near the Assam-Meghalaya border.

Image used for representational purposes only

Police recovered 24 cattle heads from the truck and arrested two men in Assam’s Nagaon district on Thursday.

Based on information from sources, a police unit stopped a truck bearing the registration number AS-01HC-9648 in the Borghat region close to Nagaon town, reported news agency ANI.

"We have recovered 24 cattle heads from the truck. The truck was coming from the Borghat area,” Ramani Kanta Das, a police officer of the Nagaon district said.

The smugglers were identified the smugglers as Sarkar Ali and Hasan Ali.

The police officer also said that during interrogation, the accused stated that they were moving the cattle to the Jorabat region near the Assam-Meghalaya border.

A case has been registered at the Nagaon Sadar police station in the interim.

Assam Cattle Prevention Act

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma two years back in August enacted the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021 in August. The act not only banned beef in the state but reduced the supply of beef to its neighbours such as Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh.

Earlier state laws such as those in Madhya Pradesh (1949), Bihar (1955), and Uttar Pradesh (1955) completely prohibited the slaughter of cattle. 

The slaughter of cattle was explicitly prohibited under earlier state laws of Madhya Pradesh (1949), Bihar (1955), and Uttar Pradesh (1955).

The Supreme Court of India ruled in 1958 that while the entire ban on the slaughter of cows was constitutionally valid, the ban on the slaughter of bulls, bullocks, and buffaloes can only be up to a certain age, or be based on their usefulness (for milk, draught, or reproduction). However, later in states such as Gujarat, the apex court's verdict established a complete ban on the slaughter of bulls and bullocks of all ages.