The Assam government has banned beef from being served and eaten in restaurants, hotels, and public places across the state.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the decision during a press conference on Wednesday, saying that the state cabinet had amended the existing law on beef consumption to incorporate new provisions.
The Assam Cattle Preservation Act, passed in August 2021, already prohibits the sale and purchase of beef and beef products in areas predominantly inhabited by Hindu, Jain, Sikh, and other non-beef-eating communities, as well as within five kilometers of temples or sattras (Vaishnavite monasteries).
The Act also imposes strict restrictions on cattle transportation.
On Wednesday, Sarma said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government decided that beef “will not be served in any restaurant or hotel and also it will not be served in any public function or public place.”
He added: “Earlier, our decision was to stop eating beef near temples. But now we have expanded it to the entire state that you will not be able to eat it in any community place, public place, hotel, or restaurant.”
The ban follows Sarma’s recent claim that his government would prohibit beef if state Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah requested it in writing, according to The Hindu.