BJP beef curbs alter Bengal eating habits
Tighter enforcement of cattle-slaughter rules in West Bengal is disrupting livelihoods, businesses and access to a traditional source of food, with Muslim communities among those most affected, according to a report by Al Jazeer
The restrictions have intensified since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the state, prompting concerns over their impact on religious and dietary practices.
In Kolkata, beef has become increasingly difficult to obtain after the state government ordered stricter enforcement of the West Bengal Animal Slaughter Control Act, 1950.
The move has affected meat traders, restaurants and consumers, while supplies remain tight more than three months after the restrictions were introduced.
The government issued a notification on 13 May, four days after the BJP was declared the winner of the state legislative elections, ending the 15-year rule of the Trinamool Congress government led by Mamata Banerjee.
Under the law, cows, bulls, bullocks, calves and certain buffaloes cannot be slaughtered without a certificate confirming that they are fit for slaughter.
Such certificates may be issued only for animals over 14 years old, those no longer suitable for work or breeding, or those permanently incapacitated by age, injury, deformity or incurable disease.
Certified animals must also be slaughtered at municipal or designated slaughterhouses, while slaughter in public places is prohibited.
Businesses and Consumers Hit
Kolkata’s only bovine slaughterhouse in Tangra has effectively stopped operating.
Mohammad Mehmood Alam, who runs a roadside eatery opposite the facility, said schoolchildren now use the otherwise deserted compound to play.
“I don’t think this government will let this reopen any time soon,” Alam told Al Jazeera.
The shortage intensified around Eid in May and has continued. Meat suppliers also require licences, but renewals have been stalled since the Kolkata Municipal Corporation was dissolved in June following the resignation of outgoing mayor Firhad Hakim. Civic elections are scheduled for December.
Local trader Mushtaq said his family had supplied beef in Kolkata for six generations without facing a similar situation under previous governments.
“The renewal of his licence was halted because of the elections, but they’ve not said anything to us about when they will be renewed. I haven’t made a single penny for more than three months now,” he said.
At Alam’s restaurant, only beef bhuna remains on the menu. He said dishes such as chaap and stew require better-quality beef, which has become difficult to obtain.
A plate of beef bhuna now costs Rs120, compared with Rs100 before the restrictions, while a kilogramme of beef costs Rs350-500, up from around Rs200-250. Despite higher prices, Alam said sales had fallen by about half.
Impact on Dietary Practices
West Bengal has traditionally been a major beef-consuming state. Government data show that 10.4 per cent of rural households and 7.9 per cent of urban households reported consuming beef or buffalo meat.
Around two-thirds of Muslims in Bengal consume beef, while Christians, sections of Dalit communities and some Indigenous communities also include it in their diets.
Alam said his own family now eats beef perhaps once a week, compared with five or six times previously, and has shifted towards vegetables, cheaper fish and occasionally chicken. Mutton has become too expensive.
In Baruipur, South 24 Parganas, residents reported markets running out of beef by around 11am.
Sayed Saifulla, a Kolkata hairdresser, said his family’s consumption had fallen from almost daily to once or twice a week, while its weekly food bill increased from about Rs5,000 to Rs7,000.
“Our earnings aren’t going up the same way, are they?” he said.
Businesses Face Losses
Five beef shops in Kolkata’s Park Circus told Al Jazeera they had suffered losses of 30-40 per cent since May.
At least a dozen restaurants in the city have reportedly stopped serving beef dishes.
Zam Zam Restaurant removed beef from all three of its Kolkata branches because it could no longer maintain the required quality.
Director Shadman Faize said the chain had lost customers, suffered losses of about 40 per cent and laid off staff.
Olypub, the Park Street institution dating to 1947 and known for its beef steak, has retained the dish but serves it only when supplies are available.
“There has never been a situation like this in Kolkata before,” a member of its management told Al Jazeera.
Uncertainty Over Enforcement
Officials have offered differing accounts of responsibility for the slaughterhouse and licensing arrangements.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation commissioner Smita Pandey referred questions about the Tangra facility and traders’ licences to the state Animal Resources Development Department.
Nikhil Kumar Shit, director of animal husbandry and veterinary services, said the KMC was responsible.
“I am not aware of the fact that the Tangra slaughterhouse has not been operational for a while now,” he said, adding that fitness certificates are generally issued by the KMC and its veterinary officer.
The restrictions form part of a broader pattern of cattle-slaughter controls in BJP-governed states, although the rules vary.
In Malda, where more than half the population is Muslim, one resident told Al Jazeera that informal networks are increasingly being used to obtain beef.
He said fear of being caught was widespread, but many poor Muslim families remained unwilling to give up the meat, leaving some to risk their safety to maintain their dietary practices.
