Bengal beef dealers to meet Mamata over UP crackdown

Beef dealers in West Bengal wish to meet Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to apprise her of the "harrowing situation" in the state due to the crackdown on slaughterhouses in Uttar Pradesh, a representative said on Tuesday.

"It is only in Bengal and Kerala that cow slaughter is allowed. Cows used to be brought from other states... Now the supply has completely stopped," Mohammed Ali, President of Calcutta Beef Dealers Association, told IANS.

Ali said this had "severely crippled" the livelihood of those employed directly and indirectly in the sector.

"From loading to packaging, lakhs of people are employed (in Bengal). People are scared to work in this sector now and livelihoods, cutting across religious lines, have been hit," he added.

Ali said goods trains with 72 bogies ferried around six to eight animals in each compartment from Uttar Pradesh to Bengal.

"The supply of beef to UP has also stopped and one of the concerns is the obstruction in transportation. Trucks are being stopped and checked. We have faith in the CM that she will consider our plight," Ali added.