Muslim buyers stayed away from the market in an act of protest against the stringent cattle slaughter law. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The boycott by buyers that left hundreds of farmers stranded at Hassan’s weekly cattle market on Tuesday (May 26) is set to continue for several more weeks — and may soon spread across Karnataka.
Muslim organisations behind the boycott said they are determined to maintain pressure on the State government until it repeals the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020, which, they claimed, has been weaponised against their community.
Muslim buyers stayed away from the market in an act of protest against the stringent cattle slaughter law, which they said has made the trade not just difficult but dangerous to them. Traders transporting cattle face harassment and police action, and obtaining a licence to operate a slaughterhouse has become an ordeal, they added. Rather than risk legal trouble, the community has resolved to stop buying cattle altogether and to observe Bakrid by sacrificing sheep and goats.
Risky trade
Mohammed Zafar, a cattle trader from Alur whose family has been in the trade for decades, explained the ground reality. “We conduct our business within the law, which permits only the slaughter of buffaloes. Even then, we face problems from the police. We struggle to obtain slaughterhouse licences. We have decided to boycott the market for some time to avoid such risks,” he said.
As a result, hundreds of farmers who had arrived at the Hassan market hoping to sell aged and unproductive cattle and use the money for cultivation, school fees, or medical expenses, were left with no buyers and the added burden of paying to transport unsold animals back home.
Unproductive cattle
“We cannot afford to keep unproductive cattle. We farmers are already burdened with so many problems. Selling cattle at the market used to fetch us a few thousand rupees,” said one farmer in a video clip from the market that went viral on Tuesday.
The boycott has the backing of the Federation of Muslim Organisations, which has also appealed to community members not to purchase cattle for the festival, advising them to avoid the legal complications that such purchases now entail.
State convener Anshad Palya, a lawyer, told The Hindu that the federation had met with cattle traders and slaughterhouse workers and persuaded them to extend the boycott. “We will continue until the State government withdraws this controversial law that imposes restrictions on the transportation and slaughter of cattle,” he said.
Many booked
Mr. Palya pointed out that since the law was enacted by the BJP government in 2020, a large number of people — predominantly from the Muslim community — had been booked under its provisions, even for legitimate trade. “Our community has resolved to stop buying cattle to avoid inviting police action. If there are no buyers, there is no trade — and that is the message we want the government to hear,” he said.
The federation is now in contact with community leaders across other districts to expand the campaign statewide. A round table involving dairy farmers, traders, and activists from progressive organisations is being planned in Hassan to build a broader coalition around the demand.
Mr. Palya also took aim at what he called the BJP’s double standards on the issue. “The BJP supports cattle trade and slaughter in several States where it is in power, including neighbouring Goa. But in Karnataka, it opposes it. And fringe groups backed by the party take the law into their own hands and harass people in the trade,” he alleged.
The federation has demanded repeal of the law and licenced slaughterhouses to be run by the government so that those dependent on the trade can carry on peacefully and lawfully, he said.
Published – May 27, 2026 08:38 pm IST
