Beef banned in Maharashtra

[Aupmanyav]

Maharashtra bans beef, 5 years jail, Rs 10,000 fine for possession or sale | The Indian Express

Strong laws. Trafficking of cattle also banned. Jharkhand to follow suit.

 

[Vinayaka]

Great news. We need to protect Her. This is some real progress.

 

[StarryNightshade]

I don't eat beef (or meat in general), and would love nothing more than to lessen unnecessary suffering of beings in general, but is banning beef really the way to go about? Especially for the non-Hindu/beef eating population of Maharashtra? Is it really going to lessen it from actually occurring?

EDIT: Please don't think of this as an "anti-Hindu" sentiment. There are many things going on in India that I would like to see be dealt with (like the constant evangelization from Christian missionaries and general restrictions on the Hindu population), but I just don't see how banning something will solve anything. Let alone make it stop happening.

Then again, I say this as a non-Indian westerner, so what do I actually know on the subject?

*Hint: very little*

 

[Aupmanyav]

That's completely ridiculous and very stupid.

May be or may be not. But this is India. This affects the sentiments of some 900 million people. Buffaloes are now an endangered species. Otherwise also, most of what is sold as beef in India is buffalo meat.

 

[Poeticus]

Maharashtra bans beef, 5 years jail, Rs 10,000 fine for possession or sale | The Indian Express

Strong laws. Trafficking of cattle also banned. Jharkhand to follow suit.

Not strong enough:

"The new Act will, however, allow slaughter of water buffaloes, which provides carabeef — generally seen as an inferior quality meat that makes up only 25 per cent of the total beef market in the state." source

But a strong start, nonetheless. A proud and honorable moment. Jai Maharashtra!

 

[Vinayaka]

Other states should follow suit. Are people aware that Gujarat has an alcohol ban? It's time we put a stop to adharmic activity of all kinds. I'd welcome any further moves. If you want to live adharmically, there are plenty of countries that would welcome you with open arms. Jai Maharashta!

 

[StarryNightshade]

Other states should follow suit. Are people aware that Gujarat has an alcohol ban? It's time we put a stop to adharmic activity of all kinds. I'd welcome any further moves. If you want to live adharmically, there are plenty of countries that would welcome you with open arms. Jai Maharashta!

That sounds very similar to "If you don't like the US, you can get out!" mentality.

It's expensive, not to mention very difficult, to just up and immigrate to another country.

 

[Aupmanyav]

There are so many things to do. Casino (we have only an off-shore one in Goa), lottery tickets (banned in Delhi), dance bars, etc. and some quantum of control over objectionable media and internet.

 

[Stormcry]

So those people would be saved from going to the hell..(I'm Maharashtrian and I'm too happy).. Mleccha are unhappy now and that's why I'm happy ..

 

[Vinayaka]

You see, Starry, the Hindus have been the most welcoming people on the planet for thousands of years. We welcomed the Muslim invaders, the Portugeuse Christians, Jews, the Tibetan refugees, and more. We're incredibly welcoming. But over time, what has it gotten us? A slow decline into adharmic ways ... social change is slow, and finally when people realise it, they stand up and say 'Enough is enough". I believe that that is all there is to the story. The reality of the situation is that most beef sole already is water buffalo anyway. The average consumer of animal flesh can't tell the difference. So the actual adjustment on the ground will be little. There will always be lots of alternative meats available to the Mumbai western wannabes.

As far as moving goes, that's been going on for centuries. People here in my country move out of this region of the city because they can't stand all the immigrants. Canada had many US draft dodgers move here during the 60s. I would never want to live in an Islamic majority country. And the list goes on. Nobody will move because of this ... but if they felt that strongly about it, sure ... to a neighbouring state.

 

[Vinayaka]

Slaughtering horses for human consumption is banned in the US. I agree with this law too.

 

[Father Heathen]

Other states should follow suit. Are people aware that Gujarat has an alcohol ban? It's time we put a stop to adharmic activity of all kinds. I'd welcome any further moves. If you want to live adharmically, there are plenty of countries that would welcome you with open arms. Jai Maharashta!

I know that this is the hindu DIR, and that respectful questions are allowed, so here's mine; is the act of forcefully denying or imposing something upon others a dharmic act, and wouldn't it have to be a willful and sincere way of living to be a genuinely meaningful and dharmic one?

 

[ShivaFan]

While I support banning cow slaughter, it must only be implemented if the correct synergy, alignment of circumstances and social consciousness as well as constitutional amendments are in place, proven with a change in consciousness by society, and approved.

Unfortunately, we do not have such circumstances in Maharashtra and this will be a political disaster that in the end will backfire and actually cause more cow slaughter, including an increase in neighboring states which such unregulated beef will come into the state with the ban and will be contaminated.

Entire and broad based goshalas (cow shelters) need to be in place PRIOR to any such ban or abandoned cows will suffer. The state would and should need to provide literally tens of thousands of goshalas (cow protection shelters) where all such cows are sheltered and feed at the State expense of taxpayers. This would have to be the first act prior to any such ban.

But more important, would be a change of consciousness among the population of the state. A simple majority isn't enough, in fact I think there are huge populations rejecting this in the state including many Tantrik Hindus who eat beef.

But worse, this is a very old law, almost 20 years old it passed but was forgotten or abandoned. Prior to any such ban, some proof of a change in consciousness would have to be made - the MINIMUM would be a new "proposition" voted by the people of the state to see if today they would even support such a ban.

I am thinking that in retirement I may start a Hindu American Renaissance Party of the United States of America (H.A.R.P.), which would have a platform for goshalas. But I doubt any idea of a ban on beef would attract any votes. Neither would my right-wing Hindu Party in the US consider implementing such a ban unless 90% of the population of a given State (let us say California) were already PRACTICING abstention from beef. Once a given society or STATE has a population that is already PRACTICING abstention from beef and has ALREADY implemented tens of thousands of GOSHALAS already in place, would HARP ever force such a ban.

I do not believe the State of Maharashtra is even close to such a change in consciousness as is now, nor have they setup the goshalas. The effort should be on goshalas, not a ban. This will end up hurting many Cows, but also is politically ill-timed and dumb and will backfire and actually hurt the efforts to change the consciousness of peoples in the State of Maharashtra.

But I do not vote in that State. So I have little say. I will seek the opinion of my Mother-In-Law on this, She is the patron of Hinduism in our family. And then report back. But for now, IMHO this is going to be a disaster to right-wing and Cows in the near future and efforts to protect Her resulting in long term setbacks.

 

[shivsomashekhar]

This is just someone acting out a political agenda and nothing more. What about India being secular, rising above religious differences?

How does banning beef slaughter benefit anyone? I fail to see how this makes anyone's life better. The primary consumers of beef are non-Hindus. The people who are involved in this trade are for the most part, Muslims. I fail to see how this is a problem for Maharashtra Hindus, who are OK with chicken and goat slaughter (and consumption).

Double standards?

 

[Vinayaka]

I know that this is the hindu DIR, and that respectful questions are allowed, so here's mine; is the act of forcefully denying or imposing something upon others a dharmic act, and wouldn't it have to be a willful and sincere way of living to be a genuinely meaningful and dharmic one?

Firstly, I truly appreciate you respecting the DIR rules. It makes the mods jobs easier.

What is any law anywhere, other than forcefully denying? Most countries forcibly deny murder, excessive speeding, theft, arson, and more. Each society is unique in what they forcibly deny.

The true dharmic way would be to offer guidance to everyone, and hope that they listen. But we all realise how well that works ... it doesn't. So to benefit the needs of the community, we have laws instead of guidelines.

 

[Aupmanyav]

.. is the act of forcefully denying or imposing something upon others a dharmic act, and wouldn't it have to be a willful and sincere way of living to be a genuinely meaningful and dharmic one?

It is not a forceful act. It has been decided by a majority of democratically elected representatives of people. It is the voice of people. Democracies respect that.

 

[Poeticus]

This is just someone acting out a political agenda and nothing more. What about India being secular, rising above religious differences?

How does banning beef slaughter benefit anyone? I fail to see how this makes anyone's life better. The primary consumers of beef are non-Hindus. The people who are involved in this trade are for the most part, Muslims. I fail to see how this is a problem for Maharashtra Hindus, who are OK with chicken and goat slaughter (and consumption).

Double standards?

Perhaps, but it's a natural reaction to the double standards already in place, such as regional governments robbing from temples in order to fund the creation of madrassas and churches to the exclusion of legally calling out anti-temple activities. Here's the thing, secularism in Bharat went out the door when Nehru came into play. What a warped understanding of secularism India currently has, which is largely in part to the dynastic rule of Congress. Heck, political scientists from around the world look at Indo-secularism with both awe and facepalm. It comes prepackaged with the program, so to speak. Let the Marathi-s have their day, shiv. Otherwise, what was the point of Chhatrapati Shivaji's efforts to curtail the slights committed upon Maa Bharati?

However, I'll agree that this may ultimately not do a lot to better anyone's life (even though the shastra-s do stress that the efficacy of Dharma is correlated directly with the treatment of go-mata). Plus, a more pressing concern is the horrid and verminous treatment of women in cities like Delhi---a blight upon the goddesses of our beloved ancestors, the pitr-s.

 

[Vinayaka]

Cow slaughter is actually banned in many states, so I'm not sure if this is really anything all that new.

Cattle slaughter in India - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[George-ananda]

This ban just seems wrong to me (and I'm a vegetarian). What about the Muslims, Christians, Atheists, etc. for whom beef is lawful? Why not chickens, etc.. I may be opposed to eating meat myself but I'm not in a place to demand others agree. And to make a religious law a secular law; just wrong to me.

 

[shivsomashekhar]

This ban just seems wrong to me (and I'm a vegetarian). What about the Muslims, Christians, Atheists, etc. for whom beef is lawful? Why not chickens, etc.. I may be opposed to eating meat myself but I'm not in a place to demand others agree. And to make a religious law a secular law; just wrong to me.

Right. This can happen only for one of two reasons - Hindus do not want anyone to eat beef (because they do not) or else, they want to take a pot-shot at Muslims.

In this case, it appears to be the latter.