Bankura (Bengal): It is going to be an extraordinary Eid for many in Bengal. Directives on cattle slaughter issued by the newly formed Bharatiya Janata Party-led Bengal government have not just devastated Muslim people, but thousands belonging to Dalit and Adivasi communities whose livelihoods depended on the buying and selling of cattle, along with meat supply chains, milk collection and dairy trade, now find themselves on the brink of economic ruin.To understand the gravity of the crisis, this reporter visited several rural haats – weekly local markets – across the state. What emerged was a haunting picture. Across the state, rural cattle markets that once formed the backbone of village economies have fallen silent. Trading activities have come to a standstill, leaving lakhs of workers unemployed and pushing families into uncertainty to the point where this can have an effect on the economy.The crisis, traders say, began after the government of West Bengal recently issued a fresh directive regarding animal slaughter. Under the West Bengal Animal Slaughter Control Act, 1950, no cattle can be slaughtered without complying with specific legal provisions. The law imposes strict restrictions on the slaughter of bulls, cows and buffaloes.According to the provisions of the Act, official approval is mandatory before any animal can be sacrificed, with authorities required to verify both the physical condition and age of the animal. The law further states that the cattle must be at least 14 years old and deemed completely unfit for productive use. The certification process requires the joint signatures of the local panchayat pradhan or municipality chairman along with a registered veterinary doctor. Without such approval, no animal can legally be taken to a slaughterhouse for sacrifice. The directive also specifies that slaughter can only take place at government-authorised abattoirs.Zahirul Islam and Fakir Molla, who had come from Beliatore to buy cattle, were seen sitting in disappointment and despair. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.Notably, the notification makes no mention of shutting down cattle markets. However, traders allege that ever since the directive was announced on May 13, incidents of intimidation and attacks on cattle traders by members associated with the BJP and Bajrang Dal have been reported from several places, including Katwa in Paschim Bardhaman.In desperation and with no other option left, several cattle rearers from both Muslim and Hindu communities approached the Calcutta high court seeking justice and protection for their means of survival. Following the hearing of one such case May 21, the judge reserved the verdict.When Eid-ul-Adha is observed tomorrow, it will be with a deeper sense of anxiety and emotional distress than just an inability to celebrate a festival.Bankura’s largest cattle marketUnder the blazing sun, with temperatures soaring past 42° Celsius, silence hangs heavily over the vast ground of Sunukpahari cattle haat in Bengal’s Bankura district. Sunukpahari is understood to be one of the largest livestock markets in Bengal.A few mahua trees are scattered across the field. Just a week before May 13, the area would have been packed with people. Wooden pegs fixed into the ground held rows of cows, goats and sheep tied for sale. On May 18, the market is deserted. Only the leaves of the mahua trees sway occasionally in the hot wind.The faint breeze offers no comfort to 50-year-old agricultural labourer Zaidul Sheikh. Standing beside an empty road near the market, he keeps shouting in desperation, “A pair of native chickens for just Rs 400. Only two are left, please take them quickly.”Zaidul Sheikh trying to sell a pair of chickens at an empty Sunukpahari haat. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.Sheikh says that two chickens are all he had brought from his village, nearly 15 kilometres away. But there were hardly any buyers. In the Bankura market, the price of one kilogram of chicken is around Rs 400. The two chickens in Zaidul Sheikh’s possession together weighed no less than three kilograms. Even then, he was willing to sell the meat, worth nearly Rs 1,200, for a mere Rs 400, simply to avoid returning home empty-handed.Anarul Khan and Sebafot Khan, who had travelled nearly 10 kilometres from Bhikurdihi village along with Bibek Sahana, are counterparts to Zaidul Sheikh.Traders Anarul Khan and Sebafot Khan had come to Sunukpahari to buy cattle. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.Bibek Sahana said he earns his livelihood through the milk business and had come to the haat hoping to buy some cows. “I could not find a single cow. How will I continue my business now?” he asked.Anarul Khan and Sebafot Khan said they had borrowed money from local moneylenders at high interest rates to purchase cattle from villages, and buy from Hindu and Muslim households alike. Selling those cattle at the market was their only source of income. But with every cattle market shut down, their livelihoods are under threat.“Doesn’t the government understand that if people cannot survive there won’t be anyone to look after the animals?” asked Anarul Khan.In another corner of the eerily silent haat stood Sheikh Shobha Uddin, who had travelled nearly 20 kilometres from Hir village of Anchuri gram panchayat of Bankura 1 Block. Looking around anxiously, he said, “I own barely one and a half bighas of farm land. I cannot cultivate it with a tractor. The monsoon is approaching fast, and I desperately need a bullock for farming. But I found none here today.”An empty Sunukpahari haat in Bankura. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.At the Sunukpahari hat, this reporter met small traders Nepal Baguli, Madhu Baguli and Shyamapada Bauri, who run tea stalls, sweet shops, snack counters and small eateries. “We earn a little only on Monday by setting up our shops at this weekly market. But now hardly anyone is coming here. There are no customers at all,” says Nepal Baguli.Livestock traders Nimai Ghose and Janardan Haldar had travelled all the way from Howrah’s Uluberia to Sunukpahari with sheep for sale, yet not a single animal was sold. A few others stood silently by the roadside with goats, while some vegetable vendors too waited in vain for buyers.Speaking to The Wire, Apurba Mondal, one of the key officials responsible for managing the Sunukpahari haat, said that the market, established in 1967, is a government-registered one.Sunukpahari haat office, where Apurbo Mondal expressed his plight. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.“Every Monday, nearly 30,000 cows and buffaloes used to be brought here for trading. Cattle traders – irrespective of religion – would arrive not only from various districts of Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and even Uttar Pradesh for the buying and selling of livestock. Transactions worth several lakhs of rupees used to take place regularly at the hat. Around 63 employees worked at the market, each earning between Rs 400-500 a day. Now everything has come to a standstill,” he said.Mondal alleged that on May 14, officials from Bankura police station called and informed the haat authorities that no cattle would be allowed inside the market premises. “We asked them why cattle could not be brought in when the government had not issued any formal ban. But the police gave us no answer,” he claimed.According to him, this major livestock market, along with several others across the state, has effectively shut down. “People keep coming to ask us when the haat will reopen, but we have no answer for them. Police personnel are continuously patrolling the market area,” he added.He said that there are 56 government-registered livestock markets across the state. Apart from cattle trading, these markets also support a wide range of economic activities, including shops selling garments, handicrafts made by local artisans, seasonal vegetables and various daily essentials. “The entire local economy revolves around these cattle markets,” he remarked.Meanwhile, traders such as Abu Zoffor Mondal and Sachin Ghose from the Asuria hat in Barjora said the cattle they are struggling to keep and feed the cattle they had bought for sale at the haat.According to them, several major livestock markets across the state, including Kulgachia in Howrah, Ilambazar in Birbhum, and Balarampur in Purulia, are now wearing a deserted look.Police respondResponding to Apurba Mondal’s allegations, Soumyadip Bhattacharya, Superintendent of Police (SP) of Bankura district, said that the police had not issued any directive to shut down cattle markets anywhere in the district.He stated that traders bringing cows or buffaloes to the markets must strictly comply with existing government regulations. “The rules require that cattle be transported in a humane and comfortable manner, and not in overcrowded vehicles. Proper food and water must also be provided to the animals during transportation,” he said.Police patrolling Sunukpahari haat. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.According to the SP, certification regarding the transport and condition of the cattle must be issued by the Animal Resources Development Department. He further added that the market where the cattle are to be sold must be officially registered and equipped with adequate drinking water facilities as well as veterinary services. “If these regulations are not followed, cattle will not be allowed to be brought to the market,” he said.In response to the statement made by the Bankura SP, several cattle traders this reporter spoke to, including Mohammad Fazlu Khan of Bonogram in Chhatna of Bankura, Subal Hembram of Ghoradhara Hat in Ranibandh, and Santosh Haldar of Ilambazar in Birbhum, expressed deep concern and frustration over the newly issued government directive.The traders stated that cattle are more often than not transported with utmost care, as any harm to the animals would ultimately result in their own financial loss. They questioned the practicality of the government instructions regarding mandatory certification from the Animal Husbandry Department. “Where are these certificates actually issued? What infrastructure has the government created for the process? Where can we even find veterinary officials?” Haldar asked.It is lost on no one that the the directive came without any proper administrative or veterinary infrastructure and ahead of the Eid period during which cattle trade reaches its peak for sacrifices. Cattle markets are not limited to the Muslim alone, many traders noted, as many Hindu traders and buyers are also actively involved in the business during this season.The traders emphasised that the markets where cattle and buffaloes are bought and sold are all officially registered and operate with existing infrastructure and regulations. “I ask whether an atmosphere of fear is being deliberately created at the cost of the livelihoods of lakhs of people dependent on the cattle trade,” wondered Hembram.Traders from Howrah Uluberia had come to Sunukpahari to sell sheep, but could not. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.Abdul Halim Choudhury, a young butcher from the Punisol village in Onda block said that the village alone has nearly 20 beef shops, all of which are now shut. “How are we supposed to survive? If the government stops our work, then it must also provide us with employment,” he said to The Wire.Onda Panchayat Samiti Sabhapati (president) Abhirup Khan and Punisol gram panchayat pradhan Abu Bakkar also raised serious concerns over the implementation of the government’s directive. According to them, the government has stated that certificates from the panchayat samiti, gram panchayat and veterinary doctors are required before cattle slaughter can take place. “But till now, no official guideline or order has reached us regarding this process,” Khan said.Last week, Amanat Mallik, a marginal farmer from Angaria village in Joypur, Bankura, brought five cattle to the Kotulpur Gorur Haat (cattle market) for sale. According to Mallik, the animals were seized by the police on the way. Fighting back tears, he said, “These are the cattle I raised in my own home. The police have kept them at the Kotulpur police station. I had hoped to sell them to pay for my liver treatment. I do not know what I will do now.”The Wire was not able to corroborate this account with Kotulpur police yet.Sonali Ghose at Bamunia Ghosepara, Bhangar, South 24 Pargana. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.The distress is not confined to Bankura alone. From Bamunia Ghose Para in the Chaltaberia area of Bhangar, South 24 Parganas, homemaker Sonali Ghose described the crisis facing families dependent on cattle rearing for survival. “We have no land or property. Our livelihood depends entirely on raising cattle. This year, we were supposed to sell 22 cows. Only a few were sold, and even those have been returned by traders. They are demanding their money back,” she said. “We mortgaged our jewellery and took loans to raise these cattle. We want the season to take place peacefully so that our cattle can be sold. Otherwise, we will not be able to recover from these losses,” she said.Small farmers and Subash Bauri at Dhobagram, Bankura. He was not able to sell cattle. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.Economists’ observationsEconomists have also expressed deep concern over the government’s recent guidelines and measures regarding animal sacrifice and cattle trade, warning that the unfolding developments could spell serious trouble for the rural economy.“Most potato farmers in the state have already suffered massive losses this year. MGNREGA has virtually come to a halt, while migrant labour is increasing at an alarming rate. In villages, poor farmers and farm labourers largely depend on dairy farming for survival. Without any proper infrastructure, these cattle trade regulations will push milk collectors and dairy workers into a severe crisis,” said Pratip Mukherjee, former head of the Department of Economics at Bankura Sammilani College.He further explained that milk production would sharply decline due to the shortage of cattle. “A cow produces milk roughly from the age of three to ten years. For the rest of its life, it remains non-productive. If cows below 14 years of age cannot be slaughtered, who will bear the responsibility of maintaining them during those years? From where will dairy farmers obtain productive cattle?” he questioned.Mukherjee warned that the policy could render lakhs of people jobless, particularly those associated with the rural dairy economy.Echoing similar concerns, Subikash Choudhury, former head of the Department of Economics at Bankura Christian College, said the uncertainty created by the government’s policy would severely affect not only the dairy sector but also the tannery industry.People from various parts of the state have also voiced apprehension over the possible consequences of the directive. Many fear that if cattle can no longer be sold easily, owners may abandon them on roads and in open fields because of the unbearable cost of maintenance.