Kerala Youth Congress slaughters cattle in public as protest, BJP livid

While 3 children can be seen in the video of the incident, a Congress leader claimed there were no kids around.

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Many parts of Kerala erupted in protest yesterday against the Centre’s new rules under the Prevention of Cruelty Act (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules 2017 that make slaughter of cattle come under a license raj.

As Left parties and the Congress conducted beef fests in over 300 places in the state, a protest held in Kannur by the Youth Congress has attracted much criticism.

BJP Kerala state President Kummanam Rajashekaran tweeted a video on Saturday that showed a cattle being slaughtered in public.

TNM found that the protest happened at the Kannur city Junction, near the harbor.

In the video, Youth Congress leader Rijil Makkutty can be heard saying, “The government’s decision is an act of cruelty against a large population. To oppose this we will slaughter cattle in public and we will distribute the meat to the public.”

Then amidst cries of ‘Youth Congress Zindabad’ and ‘Narendra Modi you can’t ban beef’, a man can be seen slaughtering the cattle, slashing its neck with a butcher’s knife. Three children are also seen in the video, keenly watching the act of slaughter.

The protest has received condemnation, especially from the BJP.

@Kummanam Iam really sad ,hurt ,angry ,mad and disappointed..our state is called Gods own country ..let's all stand together against this inhumanity — Sreesanth (@sreesanth36) May 27, 2017

Animal activists whining hw #jallikattu is 'cruel' to bulls, r absolutely silent on d horrific slaughter of a cow by Kerala youth Congress — Shefali Vaidya (@ShefVaidya) May 28, 2017

However, Youth Congress leader Rijil told TNM that no one objected to the protest. "This was our form of protest. The buffalo was slaughtered and meat distributed. There were no children witnessing that. Those who were present at that time did not raise any objection. BJP workers and leaders love cattle more than human beings. Kummanam Rajasekharan's statement is solely political.”

Another Congress leader from Kannur called it a natural form of protest. "It was a natural form of protest only. The emotions were intense and that is why the Youth Congress workers opted for such a protest. There were no children witnessing it. Kummanam Rajesekharan's statement is just for the sake of saying something. In Kannur, there are so far no negative responses to the youth Congress protest," said KPCC General Secretary Sajeev Joseph. Update- A case was filed on Sunday night against 16 Youth Congress members under IPC 428 (killing and maiming of animal) and section (ii) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act,1960.