Mumbai: The police in Maharashtra have registered the first case under a new law banning beef, which was enforced by the state's BJP-led government earlier this month amid much debate.
Three persons have been booked for allegedly slaughtering two calves in Nashik. The police have reportedly found 150 kg of beef worth Rs 35,000. But the men, Asif Talathi, Hameed and Rashid, are missing.
They face five years in prison and a fine of Rs 10,000.
The new law that came into force on March 4 bans the slaughter of calves and bullocks and allows only the consumption of buffaloes, which give inferior quality beef.
The ban has been sharply criticized on social media and there have been many protests against it. Beef traders claim they will lose their jobs and also that the cost of other meat will shoot up.
Beef costs almost a third of mutton and is a popular red meat choice. Buffalo meat is largely exported and only eaten by 25 per cent of beef eaters.