‘Produce birth certificate of cow’; TMC shares BJP MLA’s video

KOLKATA: A BJP MLA has sparked a controversy for her statement that those travelling with cows should produce their birth certificates. The incident happened at Hingalganj in West Bengal. The strange demand was made by newly elected BJP woman MLA Rekha Patra. She stopped the vehicle carrying cows and demanded the birth certificate.

‘The government has issued guidelines that cattle below the age of 14 should not be slaughtered. Those smuggling cattle illegally need to be arrested immediately,' she said. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra later came forward by sharing the MLA's video. The newly elected BJP MLA in Bengal says that certificates proving the age of cattle should be produced. Parivartan,' the MP criticized.

The state government had issued a notice the other day stating that slaughtering cows without valid certificates is prohibited under the Bengal Act of 1950 and the Calcutta High Court order of 2018. The order says, ‘No person shall slaughter any animal thereby meaning (bulls, cows, bullocks, calves, male and female buffaloes, buffalo calves) unless he has obtained in respect thereof a certificate that the animal is fit for slaughter,’ the notice says.

The notice states that the municipal or panchayat authorities, in consultation with a government veterinary surgeon, should issue the certification based on the age, health and fitness of the animal. An appeal can be filed within two weeks against the rejection of the certificates. The notice also warns that violations under the West Bengal Slaughter of Animals (Control) Act, 1950, are punishable with imprisonment up to six months or a fine of Rs 1,000 or both.