Lucknow: The UP govt under chief minister Yogi Adityanath adopted a zero-tolerance policy against cow slaughter, cattle smuggling and illegal animal slaughter in the state.To completely curb cow slaughter, the ‘cow slaughter prevention law’ was amended in 2020, and in June 2020, the ‘Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020′ was issued. Under this, 14,182 cases related to cow slaughter were registered across the state so far, and 35,924 accused persons were arrested.Officials said the govt believes that controlling cow slaughter is not only a matter of law and order but is also linked to social faith and the rural economy. Keeping this in mind, continuous action was taken through the police, administration and stringent laws, said officials.In cases related to cow slaughter, not only were regular criminal cases filed against the accused, but strict laws were also invoked. Out of 35,924 arrested, 13,793 were booked under the Goonda Act, while 178 faced action under the National Security Act (NSA). In addition, 14,305 cases saw action under the Gangster Act.These strict measures helped effectively curb organised gangs involved in cow slaughter and smuggling, said officials. During this period, several active networks were dismantled, and the properties of the accused were also investigated.Action did not remain limited to arrests and criminals were also targeted economically. Under section 14(1) of the Gangster Act, properties worth nearly Rs83.32 crore were attached. The objective was to weaken the financial strength of organised criminals by confiscating assets acquired through illegal activities, thereby preventing such crimes in the future.In several cases, land, vehicles and other assets purchased with illegal earnings were also attached. Govt also formed special police teams to control cow slaughter. These teams used intelligence monitoring, district-level task forces and heightened vigilance in border areas to dismantle networks involved in cow slaughter and smuggling.Night patrolling was increased in many sensitive districts, and the transportation of cattle was also closely monitored. Continuous drives were carried out against illegal slaughterhouses. Due to these strict actions, cases of illegal animal slaughter in the state significantly declined, and organised gangs were curbed.
