New Delhi, April 25 (SAM): India has proposed introducing Identity Cards cards for cows to prevent them from being smuggled across borders.
An unique identity system for cows has been proposed by the central government in the Supreme Court. Unique identification numbers will help track cows and prevent their smuggling, a committee appointed by the Home Ministry said on Monday (24 April), amid a raging debate provoked by mob attacks by cow vigilantes in many states.
The court was hearing a petition by an organisation, the Akhil Bharat Krishi Goseva Sangh, which alleged rampant smuggling of cattle across the border to Bangladesh.
The UID number should be mandatory and should have details like “age, breed, sex, lactation, height, body, color, horn type, tail switch, special marks details of the animal”, the committee suggested.
It also recommended that the state government be responsible for the safety and care of abandoned animals.
Each district, the committee suggested, should have a shelter home of 500-capacity for abandoned animals to help reduce smuggling and such units should be funded by the state.
The Supreme Court was to take up the case on the next day (25 April). The committee is led by the joint secretary of the home ministry.
The petitioner wants the court to ask the Railways to check illegal transporting of cattle.
A series of cow vigilante attacks have stirred protests and anger in recent weeks in states like Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Jharkhand, especially as it is the victims of thrashing that have been charged or arrested by the police first, for allegedly transporting cows illegally.
In Rajasthan, a diary owner, Pehlu Khan, was beaten to death while he was transporting livestock bought from a fair in Jaipur. He and his companions were attacked even though they had a permit.
Reacting to the ID proposal, Left leader D Raja said, “The government should take strong action against cow vigilantes groups and those who resort to violence.”
(The featured picture at the top shows vagrant cows in an Indian town)
