Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that 16 persons have been arrested in the state for allegedly slaughtering cattle illegally on the Muslim festival of Bakri Eid a day earlier.

The festival, also known as Eid-al-Adha, commemorates the spirit of sacrifice and entails the slaughtering of livestock.

The consumption of beef is not illegal in the state. However, the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, which was passed in August 2021, prohibits cattle slaughter and the sale of beef and beef products in areas “predominantly inhabited by Hindu, Jain, Sikh and other non-beef eating communities” or within five km of a temple or a sattra, a Vaishnavite monastery.

It also places restrictions on cattle transportation.

Sarma said on Friday that of the 16 arrests made, nine were from Cachar district and seven from Sribhumi. The Bharatiya Janata Party leader also claimed that cattle parts were found near Cotton University in Guwahati, and Dhubri, Hojai and Sribhumi districts.

The chief minister said that five “illegal slaughter sites” were found. Three of them were in Cachar district’s Gumrah, Silchar and Lakhipur and two in the Karimganj district’s Badarpur and Banga, he added.

“While our Constitution guarantees the right to religious freedom, it equally upholds the rule of law and public order,” he said on X, adding that the state government was “committed to preserving communal harmony, but not at the cost of lawlessness or cruelty”.

“Please be clear that strict action will be taken against all violators – irrespective of faith or background,” the BJP leader added.