“The government has already outlawed cow killing. Anybody caught engaged in cow smuggling or slaughter will be subject to the worst penalty—MCOCA, Fadnavis informed the state Assembly.
On Thursday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis cautioned individuals engaged in cow smuggling and slaughter in Maharashtra that the government will apply the strict MCOCA.
“The government has already outlawed cow killing. Anybody caught engaged in cow smuggling or slaughter will invite the toughest penalty including MCOCA, Fadnavis said the state Assembly.
The answer of the chief minister came in response to enquiries posed by ruling party members who noted that cow smuggling persists in the state notwithstanding a ban on beef and cow slaughter.
NCP MLA Sangram Jagtap brought up the matter in the Assembly advocating more rigors cattle smuggling surveillance.
He asked the chief minister what actions the state government has done to reduce such incidences.
The CM reacted, “The government is going to closely monitor cow smuggling cases and take strict action against all those engaging in such crimes.”
MLA Jagtap already highlighted the case of Atiq Queshi, a repeat offender in cow trafficking via a calling-attention motion.
Minister of State for Home (Rural) Pankaj Bhoyar informed the Assembly that Qureshi has twenty recorded cow smuggling cases against him from the Ahilyanagar area. On January 20 he was arrested; on March 1 he was released on bond.
Intervening, Fadnavis—who also owns a Home portfolio—said the police will be directed to demand MCOCA charges against regular offenders like Qureshi.
Designed specifically to fight organised crime, mafia activity, and underground operations in Maharashtra, the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) 1999 is a special law. MCOCA is invoked just in cases when a group regularly commits crimes such extortion, murder, abduction, drug trafficking, or illicit companies driven by financial gain.
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