This Eid, an Entire Economy Built Around Cattle Trade Crumbles in Bengal |
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Bankura (Bengal): It is going to be an extraordinary Eid for many in Bengal. Directives on cattle slaughter issued by the newly formed Bharatiya Janata Party-led Bengal government have not just devastated Muslim people, but thousands belonging to Dalit and Adivasi communities whose livelihoods depended on the buying and selling of cattle, along with meat supply chains, milk collection and dairy trade, now find themselves on the brink of economic ruin.
To understand the gravity of the crisis, this reporter visited several rural haats – weekly local markets – across the state. What emerged was a haunting picture. Across the state, rural cattle markets that once formed the backbone of village economies have fallen silent. Trading activities have come to a standstill, leaving lakhs of workers unemployed and pushing families into uncertainty to the point where this can have an effect on the economy.
The crisis, traders say, began after the government of West Bengal recently issued a fresh directive regarding animal slaughter. Under the West Bengal Animal Slaughter Control Act, 1950, no cattle can be slaughtered without complying with specific legal provisions. The law imposes strict restrictions on the slaughter of bulls, cows and buffaloes.
According to the provisions of the Act, official approval is mandatory before any animal can be sacrificed, with authorities required to verify both the physical condition and age of the animal. The law further states that the cattle must be at least 14 years old and deemed completely unfit for productive use. The certification process requires the joint signatures of the local panchayat pradhan or municipality chairman along with a registered veterinary doctor. Without such approval, no animal can legally be taken to a slaughterhouse for sacrifice. The directive also specifies that slaughter can only take place at government-authorised abattoirs.
Zahirul Islam and Fakir Molla, who had come from Beliatore to buy cattle, were seen sitting in disappointment and despair. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.
Notably, the notification makes no mention of shutting down cattle markets. However, traders allege that ever since the directive was announced on May 13, incidents of intimidation and attacks on cattle traders by members associated with the BJP and Bajrang Dal have been reported from several places, including Katwa in Paschim Bardhaman.
In desperation and with no other option left, several cattle rearers from both Muslim and Hindu communities approached the Calcutta high court seeking justice and protection for their means of survival. Following the hearing of one such case May 21, the judge reserved the verdict.
When Eid-ul-Adha is observed tomorrow, it will be with a deeper sense of anxiety and emotional distress than just an inability to celebrate a festival.
Bankura’s largest cattle market
Under the blazing sun, with temperatures soaring past 42° Celsius, silence hangs heavily over the vast ground of Sunukpahari cattle haat in Bengal’s Bankura district. Sunukpahari is understood to be one of the largest livestock markets in Bengal.
A few mahua trees are scattered across the field. Just a week before May 13, the area would have been packed with people. Wooden pegs fixed into the ground held rows of cows, goats and sheep tied for sale. On May 18, the market is deserted. Only the leaves of the mahua trees sway occasionally in the hot wind.
The faint breeze offers no comfort to 50-year-old agricultural labourer Zaidul Sheikh. Standing beside an empty road near the market, he keeps shouting in desperation, “A pair of native chickens for just Rs 400. Only two are left, please take them quickly.”
Zaidul Sheikh trying to sell a pair of chickens at an empty Sunukpahari........