Minister Pratap Sarangi says cow slaughter needs to be handled as homicide

Following the incident of overturning of a truck illegally transporting cattle that resulted within the demise of three males and plenty of cattle in Odisha, Union Minister of state for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Pratap Chandra Sarangi urged the Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to make the Orissa Cow Slaughter Act, 1960 extra stringent.
On Thursday, a truck carrying round 100 cattle was heading in direction of West Bengal when it overturned on NH-60 close to Balasore district. The accident induced the demise of round 40 cattle, together with three males. The incident happened when the automobile was shifting in direction of West Bengal from Bhadrak. The truck hit an SUV on the freeway and overturned close to Basta bypass sq. in Jaleswar.
Illegal transporting of cattle rampant in Odisha: Sarangi
In his letter to the Odisha Chief Minister, Sarangi mentioned that unlawful transporting of cattle was rampant within the state and this pointed on the leniency within the regulation enforcement coupled with alleged tacit help from the companies which might be purported to implement the Orissa Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act 1960 and the Prevention to Cruelty to Animals Act,1960. “When I was in Kolkata this morning, I heard the news. I have spoken to the top officials in Odisha. I can without any doubts say the cattle were being taken to be slaughtered in abattoirs of Kolkata and Bangladesh”, the Union Minister mentioned.
Punishment below the Orissa Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act be made at par with homicide: Sarangi
The Union Minister demanded that cow slaughter needs to be handled at par with the offence of homicide of a human. He mentioned that the punishment below the Orissa Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act to be made as stringent as that in case of homicide. “This Orissa Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1960 was one of the pioneering legislation in the country under the leadership of late Biju Patnaik. It’s time to make punishment under it more stringent at par with murder”, he wrote in his letter. He demanded that the incident needs to be investigated and the accused needs to be given the strictest punishment. “I call upon you to have the said incident investigated and exemplary punishment meted out to the accused”, he added.
Earlier this month, the Odisha police had reportedly rescued 12 cattle from Pathan Mahala below Old Bazar police limits in Bhadrak district whereas they had been being smuggled in a postal parcel container.