Cattle slaughtered illegally in Assam during Eid, 16 held: Himanta

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said 16 people were arrested for "illegally" slaughtering cattle during Eid a day ago.

The CM said five illegal slaughter sites were found in two districts of Barak Valley- Gumrah, Silchar and Lakhipur in Cachar, and Badarpur and Banga in Karimganj.

"While our Constitution guarantees the right to religious freedom, it equally upholds the rule of law and public order. This Eid-ul-Zuha disturbing incidents of illegal cattle slaughter and recovery of cattle parts were reported from multiple locations across Assam," Sarma said on X.

Altogether 16 people - nine from Cachar and seven from Sribhumi - have been arrested so far, he said.

"Five cases of cattle parts found – including near Cotton University (Kamrup M), Dhubri, Hojai, and Sribhumi (Bagargool)," Sarma said.

The chief minister said the state government is committed to "preserving communal harmony, but not at the cost of lawlessness or cruelty".

"Please be clear that strict action will be taken against all violators — irrespective of faith or background," he added.