The Jammu and Kashmir government, in a letter on Friday, asked the authorities to implement the ban on slaughter of cows, calves and camels on Id-ul-Azha.
“The directions were passed in response to a letter by the Animal Welfare Board on implementation of the Animal Welfare Laws,” Director, Planning department, G.L. Sharma, told The Hindu .
The authorities have been asked to implement the laws, including the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960; Transport of Animal Welfare Rules, 1978; Transport of Animals (Amendment) Rules, 2001; Slaughter House Rules, 2001; Municipal Laws & Food Safety & Standards Authority of India directions for slaughtering of animals (under which camels cannot be slaughtered) during the three-day-long Id festival.
The letter issued should not be viewed as “a ban order”, Mr. Sharma said. “These laws call for a safe ferrying of animals into J&K, identification of pregnant and sick animals. This is also to ensure no overloading kills the animals etc.,” he stated.
The letter has directed all the departments concerned “to take all preventive measures as per the provisions of acts and rules to stop illegal killing of animals and to take stringent action against the offenders”.
Mass sacrifices of sheep, goat
J&K witnesses mass sacrifices of sheep and goat on the occasion of Id, which falls on July 21 this year, as per the Islamic traditions.
The letter evoked criticism, attributing a political motive to the letter.
Habeel Iqbal, a lawyer, said, “This blanket ban on sacrifice of certain animals on occasion of Eid is itself against the Section 28 of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, which says nothing contained in this Act shall render it an offence to kill any animal in a manner required by the religion of any community”.
Several locals termed the move “interference into the religious practices of Muslims in J&K”.
The Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), headed by incarcerated Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq, expressed resentment against the ban.
“The MMU is surprised that sacrifice of bovine animals on the religious occasion of Id is being termed illegal and disallowed under the garb of prevention of cruelty to animals. Sacrifice of animals is an important tenet of religion on Id, and a duty upon persons on whom it is obligatory. The government should immediately revoke this arbitrary and discriminatory order and let the people of Kashmir celebrate Id in keeping with its religious obligations and the spirit of the festival,” it said in a statement.
