Ajmer Sharif’s Maulvi demands national animal status for cow, ban on slaughter, beef export

Ajmer Sharif Maulvi Syed Sarwar Chishti on Friday (May 22, 2026) urged the Center to declare cow as the national animal and impose a nationwide ban on its slaughter and sale for sacrifice.

The cleric’s appeal comes a few days before Eid-ul-Azha on May 28. Mr Chishti said the cow holds deep religious significance for the Hindu community and deserves respect and constitutional protection.

He appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to call a special session of Parliament to bring a law declaring cow as the national animal.

“It is important to see who supports such a bill and who opposes it,” Mr Chishti said. He said that this issue should rise above politics and be looked at from the perspective of communal harmony and cultural respect.

Also read: Large scale job loss in leather industry due to ban on cow slaughter: Priyank Kharge

Mr Chishti said Muslims would welcome such a move. The cleric also demanded strict laws against cattle abandonment, alleging that many cows are abandoned on the streets after their lactation period ends.

He said, “People leave cows on the roads after they stop giving milk. These animals eat plastic and garbage from the roads. There should be a provision of strict punishment against such carelessness.”

Mr Chishti also expressed concern over incidents of Muslims being lynched on suspicion of cow slaughter and also demanded a nationwide ban on beef exports.

He criticized the BJP for not bringing strict laws despite being in power at the Center for more than a decade.