Madhya Pradesh: seven years in prison for killing a cow
by Nirmala Carvalho
The same punishment goes for anyone who consumes, preserves or transforms the meat of cows, Hinduism’s sacred animal. Now police have the power to inspect any place where the offense might “be committed”. For Bhopal bishop, the new law is a way to legalise Hindu radical violence against untouchables and religious minorities.
Mumbai (AsiaNews) – Killing and slaughtering a cow has become an offence that carries a seven-year jail term, at least in Madhya Pradesh. The Indian state amended a 2004 law that imposed a three-year sentence. In Hinduism, the state’s majority religion, the cow is a sacred animal.
According to the Gau-Vansh Vadh Pratishedh (Sanshodhan) Bill 2010, anyone who consumes, preserves and transforms cow meat can be punished as well. A police officer not below the rank of a head constable—or any person authorised by a competent authority—has the power to enter, inspect and search any premises “where he has reason to believe that an offence (under this Act) has been, is being or is likely to be committed and take necessary action’’.
Madhya Pradesh has been government by the Hindu ultranationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2008. The party is closely linked to Sangh Parivar extremist movements like the Vishwu Hindu Parishad (VHP), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bajrang Dal. These groups are responsible of acts of violence and discriminatory practices against religious minorities, especially Christians.
“The government enacts laws to create a rift in society and to further their own political agenda by pleasing the majority population and favouring the powerful,” said Mgr Leo Cornelius, archbishop of Bhopal and president of the Bishops' Conference of Madhya Pradesh.
“While we respect the sentiments of Hindus that the Cow is a sacred animal, it is not correct to impose their 'ideology' on the others, especially in secular India,” the prelate explained.
Such legislation “will create communal tensions and further the vulnerability of minority communities,” he noted. “The cow slaughter ban will also hurt the 'dietary habits' of the most vulnerable subaltern groups, for whom [beef] is part of their protein intake.”
For him, the new law “is another way of imposing the Brahmin mindset on the poor and subaltern groups and oppressing them.”
According to the Gau-Vansh Vadh Pratishedh (Sanshodhan) Bill 2010, anyone who consumes, preserves and transforms cow meat can be punished as well. A police officer not below the rank of a head constable—or any person authorised by a competent authority—has the power to enter, inspect and search any premises “where he has reason to believe that an offence (under this Act) has been, is being or is likely to be committed and take necessary action’’.
Madhya Pradesh has been government by the Hindu ultranationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2008. The party is closely linked to Sangh Parivar extremist movements like the Vishwu Hindu Parishad (VHP), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bajrang Dal. These groups are responsible of acts of violence and discriminatory practices against religious minorities, especially Christians.
“The government enacts laws to create a rift in society and to further their own political agenda by pleasing the majority population and favouring the powerful,” said Mgr Leo Cornelius, archbishop of Bhopal and president of the Bishops' Conference of Madhya Pradesh.
“While we respect the sentiments of Hindus that the Cow is a sacred animal, it is not correct to impose their 'ideology' on the others, especially in secular India,” the prelate explained.
Such legislation “will create communal tensions and further the vulnerability of minority communities,” he noted. “The cow slaughter ban will also hurt the 'dietary habits' of the most vulnerable subaltern groups, for whom [beef] is part of their protein intake.”
For him, the new law “is another way of imposing the Brahmin mindset on the poor and subaltern groups and oppressing them.”
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