Massive protests erupted in several parts of Kashmir Valley including old Srinagar city on Friday against Jammu and Kashmir High Court’s order to ban sale and possession of beef.
The authorities put several separatist leaders under house arrest to prevent massive demonstrations. The separatists have called for a shutdown on Saturday even as several bovine animals were publicly slaughtered in defiance of the court order.
Although there was no word from the Government on the contentious issue, Opposition National Conference (NC) has decided to consult legal and constitutional experts to find legal recourse for pre-empting such controversies in future. Several other mainstream leaders have also criticised the beef ban imposition.
A Division Bench of State High Court comprising Justices Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Janak Raj Kotwal ordered implementation of a law existing in Ranbir Panel Code (RPC) that bans sale and possession of beef in Jammu and Kashmir. The verdict came in response to a Public Interest litigation (PIl) seeking slaughtering or killing of bovine animals to be declared an offence punishable under Section 298-A and possession of such slaughtered animal an act punishable under Section 298-B of the RPC.
The court had sought response from Divisional Commissioner Kashmir to file an appropriate response regarding the smuggling and slaughtering of bovine animals and their subsequent sale especially in Kashmir Valley. However, the court observed that Additional Advocate general Vishal Sharma has not communicated the direction to wither DGP or Divisional Commissioners of Kashmir and Jammu.
Pending response, the court directed the DGP to ensure prohibition on the sale of beef across the State.
The court verdict evoked sharp criticism from business community, civil society, common people and separatist leaders in Kashmir. They described the verdict as interference in the religious matters. While hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani issued a protest calendar to resist the beef ban, pro-Pakistan Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Asiya Andrabi arranged public demonstration of a cow slaughter. Shortly after cutting the animal, she vowed to defy such bans even if they were imposed by the Supreme cpurt of India. “We cannot tolerate interference in our religious matters”, Andrabi said.
Separatists and Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA) alleged that State Government was working under the “diktats of RSS”. They said there was no justification in imposing feudal laws passed decades ago and demanded revocation of ban immediately.
The authorities had deployed hundreds of police and paramilitary men to maintain law and order in the valley in view of the separatists’ call to hold protests after Friday’s congregational prayers. Additional heavy deployments of security forces had been made in sensitive areas in Srinagar and elsewhere in Valley. Syed Ali Geelani was not allowed to come out of his house where he is detained since April while Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was also put under house detention and prevented from delivering weekly sermon in Jamia Masjid.
Meanwhile Opposition National Conference has warned about a concerted effort being made to divide the State on regional and communal lines. “The abject failure of the Mufti Government to place a cogent response to a PIl filed in the High Court, is either an act of gross incompetence or worst part of a sinister plan”, NC spokesman Agha Syed roohullah said in a statement.
The High Court in its interim order dated 8th September 2015 has observed that an appropriate response was not filed by the Government to the PIl number 24 of 2014 filed before the Jammu bench of the Honorable High Court. National Conference believes that this has given rise to the present explosive situation and has deeply hurt the sentiments of the majority community.
“The people of J&K acceded to a secular India and not to a theocratic State. In a multi-religious country like India religious beliefs of every community have to be respected and protected. This is enshrined in our constitution under Article 25. Certain choices are determined by religious beliefs and cannot and also should not be dictated by the State”, Roohullah said. He said NC was consulting legal and constitutional experts with a view to effect suitable amendments in relevant sections of the RPC in order to preempt such situations from arising again in the future.