Business of throwing beef has to stop, else there may be retaliation: Himanta

Goalpara (Assam): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asserted on Tuesday that the "business" of throwing beef in various places should stop, else it could lead to others placing pork in different areas in retaliation.

He asserted that the government doesn't want anything of this sort to happen and there should not be a "fight" over such matters.

"We have to stop these people from this business of throwing beef, else others will start placing pork at different places," Sarma said when asked for his reaction to recent incidents of beef and cow parts being allegedly thrown near Hindu religious places and other areas in different parts of the state.

"Those who are doing it should understand that if Hindus don’t like one form of meat, the Muslims also do not prefer another type…if beef is thrown in front of temples and ‘namghars’ (Vaishnavite place of worship), what will they do if pork is placed in front of mosques?" he asked.

There should not be fights over these things, Sarma said.

"We don’t want any of it to happen. These places should be kept vegetarian, it is good for the health of the people also," Sarma added.

On June 8, Sarma had said that several cattle were allegedly slaughtered illegally at several places during the Bakrid festival and parts of the meat were thrown at multiple locations across Assam.

Police have so far arrested over 60 people with over 50 in Dhubri alone in connection with the illegal slaughter of cows to create communal disturbances in the state.