Meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Shri Vijay Sharma to effectively curb cow smuggling
Action of confiscation against vehicles used in cow smuggling should be done swiftly – Deputy Chief Minister Shri Sharma
Cow smuggling is not just a crime, but an organized crime – Deputy Chief Minister Shri Sharma
Raipur, 05 June 2025- A high-level meeting of nodal officers of all districts was held today in Mantralaya Mahanadi Bhawan under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Shri Vijay Sharma to strictly stop serious crimes like cow smuggling. In the meeting, the Deputy Chief Minister reviewed the district-wise and reviewed the actions taken so far under the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued on 15 July 2024 and directed to implement more effective strategy in future. On this occasion, Additional Chief Secretary Home Shri Manoj Pinguwa, Secretary Smt. Neha Champawat, Secretary Shri Himshikhar Gupta, IG CID Shri Dhruv Gupta, besides district level nodal officers and police department officials were present. Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Sharma gave clear instructions to the officers that the nodal officers should not only have complete knowledge of the SOP, but also have to present evidence of concrete action on it. Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Sharma emphasized that the police should use this Act as an effective weapon so that action can be expedited. He sought suggestions from the field officers for necessary amendments or new provisions in this Act so that necessary improvements can be made. He suggested identifying the youth associated with fields like Gauseva and NCC and involving them in this work. For this, he stressed on establishing better communication between the police and the youth by issuing passes. Along with this, he instructed to enlist the youth and Gausevaks who serve selflessly and boost their morale. The Deputy Chief Minister instructed to expedite the confiscation action against the vehicles used in cow smuggling and complete the auction process transparently. He asked the officers how many vehicles were confiscated, auctioned, in how many cases action was not taken and whether proper procedure was followed at the Collector level. He clarified that in the next meeting, every district will have to give complete details of confiscation, auction, cases registered and actions taken under sections like SAFEMA and NSA.
Deputy Chief Minister Shri Sharma said that cow smuggling is not just a crime but an organized crime. He directed to take seriously the information received from Gausevaks, whether they come through WhatsApp group or personal contact, and develop an alert system using technology. He also told that many times barricading on the National Highway proves to be insufficient, because smugglers take the cows off the vehicles and take them on foot. Therefore, he emphasized the need to take action by understanding the entire supply chain. The Deputy Chief Minister said that cow smuggling can be stopped only by strict and organized action.