Bengaluru: Members of various organisations, who wanted to protest against the Centre’s move to regulate cattle slaughtering near Town Hall on Friday evening, could not do so, as the police did not give them permission. But despite the denial of permission some protested and around 40 of them were detained.
Members of the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti, Samata Sainika Dala, SDPI, Right to Food Campaign (Karnataka) and other organisations had planned a protest in front of Town Hall on Friday evening, but the police had turned down their request. Around 50 members of SDPI, who tried to protest, were detained near Unity Building. Also, four to five people in two groups came near Town Hall and started shouting slogans against the central government, but they too were detained by the police within minutes.
The agitators distributed handbills, which stated that the Centre’s move is unconstitutional and is aimed at banning cattle slaughter.
“We will not let them attack our right to food, our right to livelihood. Today beef, tomorrow chicken, day-after mutton? Down with Brahminical, Manuvadi Central Government,” the handbill read.
“The central government has decided to throw Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution into the dustbin and establish the rule of Manusmriti, the laws of Manu. The latest indication of Emergency-like situation in the country is the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017. The rules which claim to regulate ‘livestock markets’ have the effect of a ban on the sale of bulls, bullocks, cows, buffaloes, steers, heifers, calves and camels. As animals cannot be sold at markets, anyone wanting to purchase an animal for slaughter must go to each farmer’s doorsteps,” the agitators said.
“Poor farmers can’t even sell their old cows, bulls and buffaloes without valid documents. This is an RSS strategy to push the ban on cow slaughter surreptitiously. These Rules will destroy the economy and cause total destruction of the livelihoods of farmers and peasants and all those dependent on beef and leather industries. These rules go against the diverse cultural realities of the country and violate people’s fundamental right to food, as beef is the cheapest available nutritious food for many. Leather is used by all, even those who brought these rules! But now they want to destroy the livelihoods of all Dalits and Muslims involved in skinning hides, tanning leather and leather industry! If farmers cannot sell cows and buffaloes for slaughter, they will not be able to maintain the old cattle. This will make agriculture even less profitable. The government wants to stop all small farmers from farming and hand over land to contract farmers and industries,” the protesters alleged, adding that ever since th
e BJP came to power in 2014, the drama of protection of cows is being played out while protection of people has decreased.
