The northeastern Indian state of Assam has banned the consumption of beef in restaurants and public events, including festivals.
Indian media reports that this is an expansion of the law that was imposed earlier prohibiting the sale of beef near certain religious places such as temples.
But beef can still be bought in stores in the state and eaten in homes or private establishments, it said.
Beef consumption is reportedly a sensitive issue in India, as cows are revered by Hindus, who make up about 80 percent of India’s population.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has cracked down on cow slaughter in several states (including Assam) in recent years.
It is also said that about two-thirds of India’s 28 states ruled by the BJP have partially or completely banned cow slaughter and meat consumption.
In Assam, the sale of beef was banned in 2021 in areas inhabited by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs who do not normally eat beef.
The law also prohibited the sale of beef near temples.
