The article on Nagaland government is in the process of banning the use of dog meat as food in the state and directives have been issued to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to this effect dated July 11 2016 wherein Quote “The official also said that pressure to ban capture of dogs for the purpose of slaughter and meat came in the wake of a legal notice served to the State Government by an Advocate from Assam, N M Kapadia under instruction from his clients. The Advocate through the legal notice had noted that dog meat was openly sold as food, just as chicken and mutton while all the parts of a dog’s body are used as food under the impression that it contains iron and is the medicine for some disease” Unquote.
Article 371A which gives special powers to Nagaland reads as “ Special provision with respect to the State of Nagaland.—(1) Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution,— (a) no Act of Parliament in respect of— (i) religious or social practices of the Nagas, shall apply to the State of Nagaland unless the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland by a resolution so decides;”
If we say that dog meat is a source of food to Nagas and the learned Advocate N.M Kapadia rightly admitted that it is “openly sold as food just as chicken and mutton” so what is wrong here. Why not ban chicken and mutton? I am not suggesting that we be should cruel to animals. It may be mentioned here that some village councils had banned the rearing of dogs after rabies outbreak. Therefore, Nagas may best be left to themselves in religious and social matters as enshrined in the Indian Constituition.
Rusovil John
