A Meaty Issue! Cattle Smuggling To Bangladesh Robs Beef Off North-East's Plate

In 2015, BJP leader and Union minister Kiren Rijiju had famously rebu­ked a party colleague for suggesting that those who eat beef should go to Pakistan. 바카라�I eat beef, I바카라�m from Arunachal Pradesh바카라�can somebody stop me?바카라� Rijiju had said in res­ponse to Mukhtar Abb­as Naqvi바카라�s comments. Four years later, India바카라�s Northeast is running short of beef. Not because of the ruling BJP바카라�s clampdown on cow slaughter, like in the rest of the country, but due to rampant smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh.

Beef is a staple­바카라�kosher as well despite the raging debate over it바카라�in the Northeast, especially in the Christian-majority Meg­halaya, Mizoram and Naga­land. In Arunachal Pradesh too, beef is consumed by almost all the tribal communities, besides the large Muslim population in Assam. An estimated 70 per cent of the beef comes from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Gujarat to the Northeast. The rest is sourced loc­ally. The eight NE states need more than 1.5 lakh kg of beef a day.

Beef has not yet assumed religious connotations in the region, though Assam and Tripura바카라�two Hindu-majo­rity states바카라�have seen attacks by right-wing groups on suspected cattle traders and beef-sellers. Even Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh of the BJP has said his government had no intention of banning beef in the state, where the majority community, Meiteis, are dev­out Vaishnavite Hindus.

Traders say despite the demand in the region, illegal trade to Bangladesh is on the rise as the smugglers earn a better price바카라�almost double바카라�in the neighbouring country. 바카라�It바카라�s getting very difficult. We are getting infirm, ill, and old cattle from suppliers in Bihar and UP. The young and healthy livestock is  getting smu­ggled into Ban­gladesh via Assam,바카라� says Arun Lyngdoh, president of the All India Livestock Traders and Transporters Association. Assam shares a 262-km border with Bangladesh, a considerable portion of which is riverine and porous.

A major reason for the recent crisis, traders say, is the Assam government바카라�s failure to streamline the legal cattle business. 바카라�We want the illegal smuggling of cattle through the Indo-Bangladesh border to be curbed but at the same time, the Assam government should take steps to ensure that legal transportation of cattle is not hampered,바카라� says Lyngdoh.

Recently, the Assam government put a temporary ban on cattle transportation from UP and Bihar as a step towards curbing smuggling to Bangla­desh. The move has aggravated the reg­ion바카라�s beef shortage.

Munna Saikia, the general secretary of the traders바카라� association, says that the cattle smuggling syndicate even lures the local cattle traders to boost their business. 바카라�This is happening because of the lack of awareness among the people and the traders. The government too has failed to create awareness. As a result, the illegal syndicate is running a multi-crore-rupee business and those doing legal  trade are in the red. The consumers are victims of this nexus. They are not getting no meat. The government is losing revenue,바카라� Saikia says.

바카라�We support the government바카라�s initiative to stop illegal transportation...But at the same time we demand that legal business shouldn바카라�t be stopped,바카라� he pleads. The association has sought legalisation of cattle trade with Bangladesh to ens­ure revenue in taxes and levies to the government exchequer.

Last month, Assam Police arr­ested the alleged lynchpin of the racket, Mohammed Shar­faraz, in Gopalganj district of Bihar. Director general of pol­ice Kuladhar Saikia says all the districts have been put on alert and special teams have been formed to combat smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh. Guwahati commissioner of police, Dee­pak Kumar, says Sharfaraz used to be the main man behind this racket. 바카라�Police are working to nab the other culprits who have been running the smuggling syndicate,바카라� Kumar says.

The Sangh Parivar too says the government must take strict action to end the cattle smuggling across the border as it is a question of faith. 바카라�I think the smuggling has reduced a lot after the BJP government came to power. I would like appeal to the government to bring a complete closure on this. The public vigilance is also important here. No illegal activity should be allowed,바카라� says the RSS바카라�s Samparka Pramukh, Ranjeev Kumar Sharma

On the issue of beef consumption, Sharma says that as the Hindus worship the cow, it바카라�s against their principle to eat the animal바카라�s meat. 바카라�In Assam we perform Goru Bihu (dedicated to cattle). Hence, there is no question of killing a cow. We oppose cow slaughter. And everyone must respect it. But at the same time, we are against lynching and attacking someone who eats beef,바카라� he asserts.

By Abdul Gani in Guwahati