The north Indian state of Haryana has launched a 24-hour cow helpline, on which residents can report cases of cattle smuggling and slaughter. The information will be passed on to the local police, which will respond by sending special teams to investigate the matter.

Cows are considered to be sacred in Hinduism, and cow protection and slaughter remain politically-charged issues. In 2015, the Haryana government had passed a law that makes cow slaughter punishable with up to 10 years of imprisonment, and also bans cow trafficking and eating beef in the state. In addition to the helpline, Haryana police plan to set up barricades to check cow smuggling, after reports of a rise in the number of such incidents.

Haryana has several cow protection groups, which patrol roads with the police to look for vehicles that are illegally transporting cattle. Last week, a viral video showed two men being forced to consume a mixture of cow dung, urine, milk and other dairy products, for allegedly transporting beef in the state. A cow protection group called the Gurgaon Gau Rakshak Dal claimed to be behind the incident, and said that the men had been forced to eat the mixture for purification and to teach them a lesson.

According to reports, the Haryana government has also spent approximately Rs 62.5 million in the form of grants to private cow protection shelters over 14 months. In May, the authorities had organised a bovine beauty pageant to promote domestic cattle breeds.

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