The northeastern Indian state of Assam has recently imposed a ban on beef consumption in public areas.
As per BBC, this new rule is an extension of a previous one that already prevented the sale of beef near religious places like temples.
This decision comes after India’s main opposition party, Congress claimed that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma used beef to win the Samaguri by-election, a Muslim-majority area.
However, beef can still be brought from stores and eaten in private homes or establishments within the state.
The issue of beef consumption has always been a sensitive topic in India, because cows are considered sacred by Hindus.
Around two-thirds of India’s 28 states, many run by the BJP, have implemented partial or complete bans on cattle slaughter and beef consumption.
Whereas in some states like Goa and Arunachal Pradesh, the sale and consumption of beef is legal.
In Assam, a law was introduced in 2021 that banned the sale and purchase of beef in areas with significant Hindu, Jain and Sikh populations, as these groups usually do not eat beef.
Sarma confirmed in a statement that the new ban on consuming beef in public places will be added to the existing law.
Meanwhile, other political parties have condemned the ban, claiming it violates people’s right to decide what food they want to eat.
