Woman jailed for killing a cow in Nepal

[Guest guest]

Now that the struggle for loktantra, republic, in Nepal is reaching a

climax we hope animal rights will be safeguarded by the new political

system. We hope they will not be guided by high caste Brahmin interests

only but emerge from a genuine desire to minimalise animal suffering in

every sphere of society.

 

BBC, 3 April 2006

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4871694.stm

 

Woman jailed over killing of cow

 

A court in Nepal has sentenced a woman to 12 years in prison for

slaughtering a cow, considered a sacred animal in the predominantly

Hindu kingdom.

 

Police arrested 50-year-old Kripa Bhoteni after receiving complaints

that she had killed the animal, dried the meat and eaten it.

Ms Bhoteni is reported as denying that she killed the cow. She

received the maximum sentence for the offence.

 

Killing a cow is illegal in Nepal, the world's only Hindu kingdom.

'False'

 

Ms Bhoteni was sentenced to prison by a district court in Sankhuasabha

district some 500km (310 miles) north-west of the capital, Kathmandu.

According to a report in the Kantipur newspaper, she is not a Hindu.

While killing a cow is illegal, it is not an offence against the law

to eat meat from a cow.

 

Another man charged in the same case has fled and police are searching

for him, Kantipur newspaper said.