Muslims must refrain from cow sacrifice, tough to follow WB animal slaughter norms: Kolkata cleric

Kolkata: The imam of Kolkata's iconic Nakhoda Mosque on Sunday asked Muslims to refrain from cow sacrifice to respect Hindu sentiments and said the recent West Bengal government notification has made animal slaughter very difficult in the absence of proper localised infrastructure.

"If the government cannot provide the required infrastructure, then it should declare cow the national animal while imposing a complete ban on its slaughter and beef exports," Maulana Mohammad Shafiq Qasmi told PTI.

The West Bengal government last week issued a set of guidelines barring animal slaughter without a "fit certificate" from authorities, which would assess the age and physical condition of bulls, bullocks, cows, calves, and buffaloes, before issuing a certificate for slaughter.

Only animals above 14 years of age or those found permanently incapacitated due to injury, deformity, age or incurable disease would qualify for slaughter, according to the notice.

"The government should first make arrangements for all these things, build slaughterhouses in every area, and ensure veterinary surgeons are available in every market," he said.

"If the government is not able to provide such infrastructure, then it should declare the cow the national animal and impose a complete ban on cow slaughter and slaughterhouse operations involving cows across the country," Qasmi said.

Speaking to PTI on animal slaughter regulations introduced by the new West Bengal government and the use of microphones at religious places, Qasmi said Muslims should avoid things that may hurt the sentiments of others in a diverse society.

"We appeal to our fellow Muslims, please do not perform cow sacrifice as it hurts the sentiments of our Hindu brothers," he said, adding that goats could be sacrificed instead.

Referring to the West Bengal Animal Slaughter Control Act, Qasmi said the law has been in place since 1950 and was being enforced more strictly now.

"All the previous governments gave Muslims the freedom... but they never provided a permanent solution to the problem. This government is just implementing the law strictly," the Imam said.

On the issue of using loudspeakers in mosques, Qasmi said the regulations were based on Pollution Control Board norms framed in 1996-97 and upheld by the Supreme Court.

He pointed out that the permissible sound limits were 75-80 decibels in industrial areas, 70-75 decibels in commercial zones, 65-70 decibels in residential areas and 40-45 decibels in silence zones.

Qasmi expressed concern over reports from some rural areas where police allegedly removed microphones from mosques, saying they did so without properly understanding the rules.

"There is no guideline to completely remove microphones," he said and appealed to mosque committees to cooperate with the authorities and ensure microphones are not used beyond the permitted sound limits.