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Assam: Mega ops against beef led by CM Sarma, 1,000 kg meat seized in raid on 112 restaurants, 132 arrested

Digital Desk: A campaign against beef has been started in Assam by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Assam Police have conducted raids on meat-serving establishments throughout the state on CM Sarma's orders, who had alluded to this action last month.

In the course of the raids on over 100 restaurants, over 1,000 kg of dubious beef meat were seized, and samples were taken for laboratory testing. This move has also resulted in the detention of 132 individuals.

This campaign was launched in response to the political struggle that began last month in the state over beef and cows, among other issues, which Chief Minister Sarma claimed was part of efforts to incite unrest in the state following Eid-ul-Zuha.

Last month, there was a stir in Assam as cow remains were discovered in several locations. These remains were found near temples in the Dhubri, Goalpara, and Lakhimpur districts. In this case, authorities detained 150 persons from Dhubri alone. Following the continuous stir, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that an effort was being made to cause violence in various locations following Eid.

However, according to media sources, the Assam Police initiated this campaign on Tuesday. Reportedly, as cited by the Indian Express, Assam Police IG (Law and Order) Akhilesh Kumar Singh confirmed that searches were conducted in 112 meat-serving restaurants across the state at 8 p.m. on Tuesday night. This state-wide raid was performed in response to reports about the illicit sale of beef in eateries. During this time, 132 people were arrested for serving meat without permission, and 1,084 kg of suspect beef samples were recovered.

Moreover, the Assam Police conducted raids in Dibrugarh, Nagaon, Hojai, Kamrup, Kokrajhar, Darbhanga, and Morigaon districts.

Following these events, Sarma discussed making the Assam Cattle Preservation Act-2021 more stringent last month. There is currently no law prohibiting the consumption of beef, but it does restrict the sale of beef or its products in places where the majority of the population is Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, or other non-beef-consuming communities.

Aside from that, the legislation prohibits the sale or eating of beef within a 5-kilometer radius of any temple, Satra, or other religious institutions linked with Hinduism or any other community as determined by the proper authority. It enables the sale of beef or its products only in locations and areas designated by the authorized authorities.