Stop Howrah Police Officer from Promoting Cow Slaughter, Violating High Court Judgment

Why this is Important

This is an urgent petition, requesting the Government of West Bengal (Paschim Banga), India to take strong action against the errant Officer-in-Charge of Amta Police Station (Howrah district) who is Promoting Cow Slaughter (to pander to extremist elements) and is thereby openly violating the Honorable High Court Judgment (dated November 13, 2010).

We urge the Honorable Home Secretary Dr.G.D.Gautama (IAS) to investigate the atrocities being committed by the aforementioned police officer on those thousands of villagers who refuse to kowtow to his dictatorial demands that they support and make arrangements for slaughtering of cows on Bakr Eid (which falls on November 7, 2011 i.e. Next Monday)

Stop Howrah Police Officer from Promoting Cow Slaughter, Violating High Court Judgment

Honorable Sir

In its landmark judgment on November 13, 2010, the Honorable Calcutta High Court banned cow slaughter during Eid.

The High Court’s division bench of Chief Justice JN Patel and Justice Asim Ray termed the practice of killing cows and their progeny for religious purposes as unlawful. This judgment came after Mr. Enamul Haque, Mr.Abhijit Das and others had filed a Public Interest Litigation, (vide Case No. AST-725 of 2010) in the High Court on 11 October 2010 – with Advocates M.M.Qureshi and Joydip Roy representing the petitioners.

The High Court ordered the authorities to implement the provisions of West Bengal Animal Slaughter (Control) Act, 1950 and if any instance of cow slaughter on Bakri-Eid is brought to their notice, they should take cognizance and act in accordance with the law.

Unfortunately, the Officer-in-Charge of Amta Police Station (Howrah district) Mr. Subrajit Majumder is behaving like a law unto himself. He is intimidating and forcing Howrah villagers to support and make arrangements for slaughtering of cows on the Bakr-Eid day (November 7, 2011). He has vividly threatened renowned social workers who are only helping the villagers to submit a memorandum (requesting the implementation of the verdict of the High Court) with mass signatures to the government authorities in a completely peaceful, democratic and legal manner.

This errant police officer’s actions are a clear violation of the High Court Judgment and exacerbate Animal Cruelty, Environmental Pollution and the Criminal-Official Nexus.

Inspite of Mr.Majumder’s unlawful actions, about eight hundred people, from Choto Mahara village, signed a petition urging the administration to obey the Calcutta High Court verdict and stop Cow Slaughter on the occasion of upcoming Bakr-Eid on November 7, 2011.

The motivation for Mr.Majumder’s blatant contravention of the law is debatable. The root cause may be monetary or an old habit of pandering to extremist elements so much that he cannot tolerate any legal and democratic procedure. Though Mr.Majumder is a public servant, he has come to resemble a thug for the peace loving people of Howrah. Most unfortunately, some of his superior officers are apparently turning a blind eye to such atrocities for the same reasons. Such unscrupulous elements bring notoriety to the khakhi uniform.

We request the Honorable Government of West Bengal to investigate this issue thoroughly and take stringent action against such errant public servants, who break the very law they are supposed to enforce.

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