Even so, penalties for cow slaughter, beef eating, or even possession of the meat, range from up to life imprisonment in Gujarat -- to jail time or heavy penalties in other states.
The maximum term of imprisonment varies from 6 months to 14 years(life-term) and the fine from ₹1,000 to ₹5,00,000. Delhi and Madhya Pradesh have fixed a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment at 6 months.
In most states, cow slaughtering is declared illegal; for example, in Tamil Nadu, cow slaughtering is banned by up to 3 years in jail and a Rs. 1000 fine, but slaughtering economically worthless animals is prohibited.
Through this new law, the maximum punishment for cow slaughter was prescribed as life term or 14 years, but not less than seven years. Along with the jail term, anyone convicted of cow slaughter have to pay a fine ranging from Rs1 lakh to Rs5 lakh.
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Why are cows not slaughtered in India?
Most of India's Hindus share the belief that slaughtering cows is sacrilegious. Thus protected, cows have multiplied to the point that India has more cattle—over 300m, according to the United States Department of Agriculture—than any other country.
Every year in India, around 3 million cows in India stop producing milk. Cows that can no longer calve or provide milk are seen as a burden by farmers. Before Modi tightened restrictions, these cattle were often sold to Muslim traders and smuggled overseas for their meat and leather.
All of India's most widely practiced religions have dietary laws and traditions. For example, Hindu texts often praise vegetarianism, and Hindus may also avoid eating beef because cows are traditionally viewed as sacred. Muslim teachings, meanwhile, prohibit pork.
They die either a natural death or die in an accident. City municipality disposes of such cases - mostly burying them. There are some cow homes run by socio-religious organizations which provide shelter to such cows in Goshalas - you can find them in holy cities like Mathura / Haridwar / Benaras.
The slaughter of cattle – considered sacred by Hindus -- is banned in many Indian states, including Uttar Pradesh, where conviction can incur up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of up to about $6,000.
Muslims are allowed to consume the following: lamb, beef, goat, and chicken. However, what some people fail to grasp is not all of those animals' meat is halal. For an animal to become permissible to eat in Islam, it must be raised and butchered in a specific way and have a prayer said before the slaughtering.
The respect for cows is part of Hindu belief, and most Hindus avoid meat sourced from cows as cows are treated as a motherly giving animal, considered as another member of the family. Some Hindus who eat non-vegetarian food abstain from eating non-vegetarian food during festivals such as Janmashtami.
The Delhi Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act, 1994 governs the slaughter of cattle in the state. Slaughter of all agricultural cattle is totally prohibited. The law defines "agricultural cattle" as cows of all ages, calves of cows of all ages, and bulls and bullocks. The slaughter of buffaloes is legal.
There are no rules recommending or prohibiting the consumption of pork for Hindus. However, some people prohibit it citing that Bhagavan Vishnu took the form of a boar, hence pigs should not be consumed.
Hindus, who make up about 80 per cent of India's 1.4 billion people, are not prohibited from eating pork, but many consider the meat impure and this has made restaurants wary about putting it on their menus.
Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab have also imposed a ban on slaughter, transport, export, sale and consumption of beef (bull, bullock, ox, heifer or calf) in 2015, excluding canned beef and killing “by accident or in self defence”.
A farmer has described the heartbreaking moment she watched a mother cow mourn the death of a calf following a mysterious accident. Despite growing up around cattle, Autumn Weppner said she never knew cows could cry and was taken aback by witnessing what she described as a “cow funeral”.
Beef is not banned in Nepal. Even consumption of cow-meat isn't technically a criminal offense. The only thing that Nepalese law specifically bars is 'slaughter of cows'.
Male Calves are are useless for a dairy industry, they are often abandoned on streets mostly, few are sold for veal meat and few get to live until they are slaughtered for flesh.
Sikhs also generally avoid eating beef because the cow, the buffalo and the ox are an integral part of rural Sikh livelihoods. Similarly, Sikhs may avoid eating beef in the company of Hindus and avoid eating pork in the company of Muslims out of respect for their shared values.
Hindu devotees believe that onions and garlic make it difficult to differentiate between desires and priorities since garlic is known as Rajogini - a substance believed to make one lose grip over their instincts while onions produce heat in the body.
However, vegetarian Sikhs do consume dairy products. Sikhs who are not vegetarian may choose to abstain from eating pork or beef. However, all Sikhs are prohibited from eating any meat that has been ritually slaughtered including halal or kosher meats4.
There are more than 5 million stray cattle roaming the streets of India. The cow is a holy animal in the Hindu religion, but stray cattle – mostly abandoned males – have been causing chaos in the country. There are frequent reports of cattle attacking people, causing car accidents, and spreading disease.
Also, in Hindu traditions, the cow is considered to be a source of abundant blessings and is worshipped in religious ceremonies. In rural India, cows are often seen roaming the streets and are protected by villagers. The milk from cows is considered to be pure and is used in rituals and offerings.
The cows roaming the streets are indeed fairly common, at least in some parts of India, and yes you can pet them. I did. They're very cuddly and loving. Wild elephants are much less common, and can be dangerous.
