8 Youth Cong workers held in Kerala for calf slaughter

Eight Youth Congress activists on Thursday were arrested in connection with the public butchering of a calf here recently as part of their protest against the ban on sale of cattle at the animal markets for slaughter.

Police had recently registered a case against the activists under Section 120A of the Kerala Police Act on a complaint from Yuva Morcha district general secretary C C Rateesh.

The offence deals with the slaughter of any animal in a waythat causes annoyance or inconvenience to the public and is punishable with imprisonment up to a year or a fine of up to Rs 5,000 or both.

Police said the arrests were made after incorporating two more sections of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and IPC sections 143 (punishment for unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting) and 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence) in the FIR.

Beef fests were also held across the state by the youth wings of the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front and opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front in protest against the Centre's ban.

The Congress party had earlier suspended three Youth Congress leaders.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had deplored the incident and the party had directed its Kerala unit to take strong action against those involved in the act.