Lucknow, March 13 -- After assuming office, Yogi government adopted a zero-tolerance policy against cow slaughter, cattle smuggling and illegal animal slaughter in the state and strict action continues even today.
To completely curb cow slaughter, the 'cow slaughter prevention law' was amended in 2020 and in June 2020, the 'Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020' was issued. Under this, 14,182 cases related to cow slaughter have been registered across the state so far and 35,924 accused persons have been arrested.
Government believes that controlling of cow slaughter is not only a matter of law and order but is also linked to social faith and rural economy. Keeping this in mind, continuous action has been taken through the police, administration and stringent laws.
In cases related to cow slaughter, not only were regular criminal cases filed against the accused, but strict laws were also invoked. Out of 35,924 arrested, 13,793 were booked under 'Goonda Act', while 178 faced action under 'National Security Act' (NSA). In addition, 14,305 cases saw action under the 'Gangster Act'.
These strict measures have helped effectively curb organized gangs involved in cow slaughter and smuggling. During this period, several active networks were dismantled and the properties of the accused were also investigated.
Action did not remain limited to arrests, criminals were also targeted economically. Under Section 14(1) of the Gangster Act, properties worth nearly Rs.83.32 crore were seized. The objective was to weaken the financial strength of organized criminals by confiscating assets acquired through illegal activities, thereby preventing such crimes in the future.
In several cases, land, vehicles and other assets purchased with illegal earnings were also attached. Government also formed special police teams to control cow slaughter. These teams used intelligence monitoring, district-level task forces and heightened vigilance in border areas to dismantle networks involved in cow slaughter and smuggling.
Night patrolling was increased in many sensitive districts and transportation of cattle was also closely monitored. Continuous drives were carried out against illegal slaughterhouses. Due to these strict actions, cases of illegal animal slaughter in the state have significantly declined and organized gangs have been curbed.
Under the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020-
* Up to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for cow slaughter
* Fine ranging from Rs.3 lakh to Rs.5 lakh
* Up to 7 years of imprisonment and Rs.3 lakh fine for injuring or mutilating cattle.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.