The Assam Assembly on Friday passed a bill that imposes a complete ban on cow slaughter and regulates the sale of beef and transport of cattle within the state and from outside.

Violation of the slaughter ban and the transport of cattle without valid permits will invite stiff penalties under the Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021.

The bill was passed in spite of the Opposition urging the BJP-led government to send it to the select committee for wider discussions.

The Opposition had proposed 75 amendments, stressing the adverse economic impact of the bill on the farming community. The government accepted one: exempting buffaloes from the list of cattle. The list of cattle will now cover bulls, bullocks, cows, heifers and calves.

When it became clear that the government would pass the bill, the Congress, AIUDF, CPM and Raijor Dal MLAs walked out.

Muslims make up 34 per cent of Assam’s population while beef is widely consumed across the Northeast, which has a large Christian population.

Beef products will no longer be permitted to be sold in areas predominantly inhabited by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs.