Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury writes to Bengal CM over animal slaughter notice, seeks designated sites for minority religious practices
The Statesman | 17 May 2026
Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has written to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, raising concerns over public notice issued by state government on May 13 regarding adherence to Animal Slaughter Guidelines.
In his letter, Chowdhury said the notice had triggered confusion and unrest among communities, particularly in Murshidabad district. He called for urgent intervention from Chief Minister to restore calm.
On May 13, 2026, West Bengal government made it mandatory for anyone seeking to slaughter bulls, bullocks, cows, calves, buffaloes, buffalo calves, castrated buffaloes to first obtain fit-for-slaughter certificate.
The notice also explicitly prohibited public slaughter of these animals and warned that officials tasked with enforcing the order must not face any form of obstruction during inspections.
The guidelines apply across the state and mark a significant tightening of existing regulations around the slaughter of cattle and related animals.
In his letter, Chowdhury pointed to Murshidabad as a district that faces a particularly sensitive situation. The district has a population where the minority community forms the majority, and the Congress leader argued that the notice had caused “consternation” among residents there.
“West Bengal, like any other state in the country, is home to multiple groups and communities who follow a variety of cultural traditions and practices rooted in religious faith,” Chowdhury wrote.
He stressed that the timing and language of the notice had left many residents, especially those from the minority community, feeling uncertain about whether their customary religious practices would be affected.
Rather than demanding a rollback of the guidelines, Chowdhury proposed a practical workaround. He suggested that district administration in areas like Murshidabad identify and officially demarcate specific locations where communities could carry out their socio-religious customs without fear of legal complications.
In his letter, he outlined his suggestion clearly. “Such locations that are identified and demarcated would be used solely for customary practices associated with the religious grouping.”
He argued that this approach would serve as practical and workable solution to unease created by the notice by allowing people from all communities to practise their customs without running into conflict with new regulations.