Attempting to fulfil its promises made in the Congress’ “Vachan Patra”, the Kamal Nath-led Madhya Pradesh government has approved a proposal to amend the cow protection law adding stricter norms against mob lynching in the name of cow protection, with provision of jail terms ranging from six months to five years to those who indulge in violence in the name of cow vigilantism. The proposal is likely to be tabled in the Monsoon Session of Vidhan Sabha beginning 8th July.
“We are bound to fulfill the promises made in the “Vachan Patra” which ensures cow protection. The amendments in cow protection law (MP Cow Progeny Slaughter Prevention Act, 2004) will add stricter norms against violence in the name of cow vigilantism. We will table the bill in the forthcoming session of assembly to ensure that the law be cleared”, said state law and legal affairs minister, PC Sharma.
He said details on the provisions could not be disclosed till it was tabled in the house, however, the act would award an imprisonment upto five years and a fine up to Rs 50,000.
Sources said that if the amendment is cleared by the assembly, those involved in violent activities in the name of cow vigilantism would face an imprisonment from six months to five years and a fine of Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 or both. The jail term could be extended to maximum in case of incidents like mob lynching.
The proposed amendment also seeks to double the punishment for repeat offenders and also to those who instigate such violence or damage property, with an imprisonment of one year to three years, read the provisions.
During the previous BJP rule, government had enacted Madhya Pradesh Gau-Vansh Vadh Pratishedh (Sanshodhan) Vidheyak (Madhya Pradesh Prohibition of Slaughter of Cow-Progeny (Amendment) Bill) in January 2012, to ban cow slaughter and conserve the cow progeny.
In the amended act, a person found guilty of cow slaughter would be liable for 7 years imprisonment, instead of the 3 years earlier, besides a minimum fine of Rs. 5,000. The government had passed the amendment bill in the assembly in 2010 to strengthen the existing cow slaughter prohibition Act (Madhya Pradesh Gauvansh Pratishedh Adhiniyam 2004) and forwarded it to the union home ministry on 3rd September, 2010. It received the Presidential assent on 22nd December, 2011 and was published in the Madhya Pradesh Gazette (extraordinary) on 31st December, 2011.
The act however, did not involve provisions on mob lynching or violence in the name of cow protection which as per the Congress government was an important lacuna in the provisions of the Act. However, BJP has dubbed the government move mere as a propaganda to promote `Soft Hinduism’.
“What BJP had enacted was cow protection act to save the progeny. There are provisions against mob lynching and violence under Indian Penal Code (IPC) and CrPC which could be imposed during such incidents. There is no need to add provisions to the cow protection act. This seem to be Congress’ cheap publicity practice who has failed on the part of implementation”, said BJP state spokesperson, Rajneesh Agrawal.
Earlier in February this year, the Congress government for the first time in the history of the state, invoked the stringent National Security Act (NSA) against three persons on charges of cow slaughter in the communally sensitive Khandwa town. The three accused Nadeem, Shakeel and Azam had been booked following a tip off.
Between 2007 and 2016, the BJP government under Shivraj Singh Chouhan had invoked the NSA on cow-slaughter charges against at least 22 persons, including an office-bearer of the party’s minority cell in Moghat village of Khandwa district following a threat of protests from the local Bajrang Dal.
MP govt proposed 5-year jail to make laws against cow slaughter
