Maharashtra bans cow slaughter; 5 years jail for possession or sale of beef

Almost 20 years after the bill was introduced in the Mahrashtra Assenbly, cow slaughter has been banned in Maharashtra after the President signed the bill on Monday, the Indian Express reported. The Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill was introduced by the BJP-Shiv Sena in 1995 and was pending approval.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted: 

Thanks a lot Hon President Sir for the assent on MaharashtraAnimalPreservationBill.Our dream of ban on cow slaughter becomes a reality now.

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) March 2, 2015

According to the Indian Express, the new law prohibits the slaughter of bulls and bullocks but will allow for the slaughter of water buffalos. The law also penalises any person found to be selling or in possession of beef with 5 years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 10,000.

The report quoted Mohammed Qureshi, President of the Mumbai Suburban Beef Dealer Association, as saying that the law would leave several without jobs as well as lead to hike in price of other meats in the state as consumers gravitate towards them. Beef traders are looking for legal options to challenge the bill. 

According to the report, beef traders across the state were on strike for more than a week in February protesting the harrassment they faced. The Maharashtra Chief Minister had then assured them of protection against any harrasment. 

BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari told The Hindu that the ban on slaughter on cow laughter must not looked at with a communal lens but seen as keeping with the “interests of agrarian communities.”