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| Court order on beef eating may kick up controversy allowing separatists to thrive on | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 12: Separatists in Kashmir have decided to defy the High Court order under which slaughter and eating of beef has been banned. Hence they have appealed to people of the State to slaughter bovine cattle instead of the traditional sheep and goat during Eid-ul-Zuha.
This time these separatists have come out and challenged the court order which some of them described as "political gimmick." Is the Court order a violation of peoples' freedom? Is the Court order a step that restricts peoples' fundamental rights? The separatists do not touch these issues while urging people to slaughter cows, buffaloes and bulls instead of sheep and goat during Eid-ul-Zuha.
In fact the court has simply followed over 100 year old Government order under which slaughter of any bovine animal such as ox, bull, cow or calf was banned. And it was in 1984-85 that the then Governor Jagmohan had issued an order reviving the 1932 Government order. In addition to this Jagmohan had issued an order under which mutton shops were to remain closed on Janam Ashtami festival when most of the Hindus, including the Kashmiri Pandits observe fast.
And again a senior separatist leader, Dr Qazi Nissar, Mirwaiz of south Kashmir, defied Jagmohan's order by slaughtering a cow in the Lal Chowk area of Anantnag town.
Jammu and Kashmir is the only state with laws against cow slaughter and beef eating. Almost all the laws enacted during Maharaja's time in 1930s were subsequently adopted by the constituent Assembly of the State. While with regard to penalty, amendments were made but the laws remained there including law against cow slaughter and beef eating.
However, no Government tried to implement the law against cow slaughter except Governor Jagmohan in 1980s and his zeal resulted in some commotion among a section of people.
Even though there was a law, there was no urge among Kashmiri Muslims, who along with Kashmiri Pandits are voracious meat eaters, to opt for beef.
In Srinagar, beef is culturally looked down upon. It is considered a taboo. Kashmir is known as the mutton capital of India with consumption of around 1,000 lakh kg/year and most of it comes from Rajasthan and Punjab. Beef consumption is very low. Historian says aversion to beef in the Valley dates back to the Muslim rulers and describe it as a hangover of Kashmir's Buddhist and Shaivist past.
Whenever the courts have ordered release of separatists such orders were welcomed by all those sitting on other side of the fence. Whenever courts chastised the Government or the security forces for violating human rights, the courts are greeted with cheers from separatists. And when the courts resurrect old Government order to ban sale and consumption of beef these very separatists blame the courts for indulging in political gimmicks.
Knowing that majority of people in the Kashmir valley avoid beef eating there should have been no reason for the separatists to appeal to people to defy the court order. In fact the court order has divided the political spectrum vertically and it could result in some sort of political turmoil.
If not anybody else the Court has provided an opportunity to the separatists to register their presence and relevance. Already moderates among the separatists have suffered a setback when three senior leaders, Shabir Ahmed Shah, Nayeem Khan and Aga, joined the Hurriyat Conference (G), a conglomerate of hardliners. And a section of these hardliners, including Nayeem Khan and those belonging to the camp of Masarat Alam are in the forefront of the campaign against the court order.
Separatists thrive on controversies. The court order is bound to generate controversies allowing a chance to the separatists to exploit the situation to their advantage. |
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