The Assam government on Wednesday banned the serving and eating beef at restaurants, hotels or public places in the state.

At a press conference, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the decision was taken at a meeting of the state Cabinet to amend the existing law on beef consumption and incorporate the new provisions.

The Assam Cattle Preservation Act, which was passed in August 2021, prohibits the sale and purchase of beef and beef products in areas “predominantly inhabited by Hindu, Jain, Sikh and other non-beef eating communities” or within five kilometres of a temple or a sattra, a Vaishnavite monastery. It also places tight restrictions on cattle transportation.

On Wednesday, Sarma said that the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state decided that beef “will not be served in any restaurant or hotel and also it will not be served in any public function or public place”.

He added: “Earlier our decision was to stop eating beef near temples. But now we have expanded it to the entire state that you will not be able to eat it in any community place, public place, hotel or restaurant.”

The ban comes days after Sarma claimed that his government would prohibit beef if state Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah sought it in writing, The Hindu reported.

He made the remarks on Saturday in view of allegations that the BJP offered beef to woo voters ahead of the bye-elections in the Muslim-majority Samaguri Assembly constituency on November 13.

BJP candidate Diplu Ranjan Sarmah won the seat against the Congress’ Tanzil Hussain by a margin of 24,501 votes. Tanzil Hussain is the son of Congress MP Rakibul Hussain, who won five times from the seat, according to The Hindu.

“Samaguri was with Congress for [almost] 25 years,” Sarma told reporters on Saturday. “The bye-poll outcome was more of a defeat for Congress than a victory for the BJP.”

He added: “But in defeat, Rakibul Hussain said it was wrong for the Congress and BJP to win elections by offering beef to voters. Few know Samaguri better than him. Did he mean the constituency could be won only by offering beef?”.

Sarma said that his government would consider banning beef if Rakibul Hussain thinks it should be prohibited. “I will also seek the opinion of Bhupen Borah,” he claimed, according to The Hindu. “If he concurs with Rakibul Hussain, I will ban beef in Assam during the next Assembly session.”

Following Sarma’s announcement on Wednesday, state minister Pijush Hazarika said that he challenged the Congress “to welcome the Assam Beef Ban or go and settle in Pakistan”.

All India United Democratic Front general secretary Rafiqul Islam said that the state Cabinet should not be deciding what the public wears or eats, ANI reported.

“BJP cannot ban beef in Goa, they cannot ban beef in northeastern states, then why in Assam?” the MLA from Jania said. “We do not pay much heed to this decision.”