On Saturday, June 3, K Venkatesh, the animal husbandry and veterinary sciences minister in the newly formed Congress government hinted at the ‘review’ of the anti-cow slaughter act passes by the previous BJP government and legalising cow slaughter.
“If a buffalo can be slaughtered, why not cows?,” the minister argued saying that his government will discuss the Act, which does not contain any mention of cow slaughter.
In an attempt to justify his argument further, the minister stated that farmers are faced with a struggle in the maintenance of aged cattle and disposal of the dead. He claimed to have had some issues disposing of one of the cows that died recently at his farmhouse.
“I sought advice from veterinary officials, who advised me to bury the carcass. I had to get an excavator to bury the carcass,” Minister Venkatesh said.
According to Minister K Venkatesh, the government intends to purchase at least one crane for each taluk that will be used to bury cattle corpses.
Amnesty India’s demand to allow cow slaughter in Karnataka
Notably, on May 23, Amnesty India, a dubious organisation that closed its office in India after several agencies began investigating it for alleged FCRA violations, issued a list of anti-Hindu “demands” for the newly-elected Congress Government in Karnataka.
Amnesty India had demanded a review of the Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020. The organisation also demanded to allow cow slaughter in the state of Karnataka.
Amnesty India had claimed that a ban on slaughter and religious conversions can be “misused and weaponised against minorities”. The tweet read, “Review and repeal discriminatory provisions in the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020 and the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2022, which can be misused and weaponized against minorities.”
Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cow Bill 2020
The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cow Bill 2020, passed by the state’s previous BJP government, took effect in February 2021. According to the Act, slaughtering any cattle, except buffaloes over the age of 13, is a serious offence punishable by up to seven years in prison.