NEW DELHI, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The western Indian state of Gujarat Friday approved life term as punishment for cow slaughter, the toughest punishment for such act in the country.
The state assembly cleared the amended Gujarat Animal Preservation Act of 1954 on the last day of the Budget Session to make killing of cows punishable with life imprisonment. Moreover, those found guilty of transporting beef will also be jailed for 10 years.
The penalty for either act has also been doubled from 50,000 Indian rupees (770 U.S. dollars) to 100,000 rupees (1,540 U.S. dollars).
The new law comes into effect from Saturday.
Cow is considered as a holy animal by majority Hindus in India. Killing of cows is illegal in many Indian states, but the passing of new amended law means Gujarat now has the toughest law against cow slaughter in the country.
The slaughter and transport of cows was banned in Gujarat in 2011, when the state was ruled by then Chief Minister Narendra Modi, now India's prime minister.
But over the past few weeks, state Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has often talked about bringing in tougher laws to protect cattle. "The (ruling) Bharatiya Janata Party is committed to protect Gau (cow), Ganga (holy river of Hindus) and Gita (sacred book of Hindus)," he said earlier this month.
