The Nagaland Cabinet on Friday banned the sale of dog meat, the consumption of which has been objected by champions of animal rights for years. Chief Secretary Temjen Toy tweeted “The State Government has decided to ban commercial import and trading of dogs and dog markets and also the sale of dog meat, both cooked and uncooked. Appreciate the wise decision taken by the State’s Cabinet” and tagged official handles of the Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Member of Parliament and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi.
The State Government has decided to ban commercial import and trading of dogs and dog markets and also the sale of dog meat, both cooked and uncooked. Appreciate the wise decision taken by the State’s Cabinet @Manekagandhibjp @Neiphiu_Rio
— Temjen Toy- Archived (@temjentoy) July 3, 2020
The ban came after MP and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi tweeted about the unabated killing and sale of dogs for consumption sharing a picture of several dogs in gunny sacks allegedly taken in the ‘animal bazaar of Dimapur’ by a Nagaland based animal protection group. She appealed to the public to collectively persuade the Nagaland government to stop the trade. An appeal that led around 125,000 people to write to the G.O.N.
Official release by the government of Nagaland on the ban of consumption of dog meat. pic.twitter.com/olroWQNlIf
— People For Animals India (@pfaindia) July 4, 2020
On July 2, Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organizations (FOIAPO) had urged the government to enforce actions against the illegal smuggling and consumption of dog meat in the state and demanded an immediate ban on it, citing horrid images of the canines in terrifying conditions, tied and waiting at a wet market to be slaughtered. These actions by animal welfare organizations proved a paramount step in the decision as the Officials received massive numbers of emails and tweets with appeals.
The dog meat trade is illegal in Nagaland and transgressing various laws, including Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that makes the killing of animals an offense punishable with up to five years of imprisonment.
However, After the Cabinet’s decision on Friday, people from some sections took to social media to protest the ban claiming it to be an infliction upon their customary values. They also questioned the government’s plan of action on implementing the new law.
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