Overview
- The state home department issued a government resolution on Thursday, May 21, 2026 directing authorities to invoke the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against individuals, gangs or organisations repeatedly involved in cattle smuggling.
- The circular requires district collectors, police commissioners and transport and animal‑husbandry officials to appoint independent nodal officers and form joint flying squads to carry out inspections and enforcement.
- Border entry points must host joint check‑posts staffed by police, transport, local bodies and animal‑husbandry officials to stop illegal cattle movement into Maharashtra.
- The transport department is ordered to conduct regular vehicle inspections and use the Motor Vehicles Act where needed, while police must act immediately on 112 emergency complaints about smuggling or unauthorised slaughterhouses.
- Local bodies must identify unlicensed slaughterhouses and ensure temporary religious slaughter facilities meet cleanliness, biomedical waste and public‑health rules, with the state citing Article 48 and existing animal protection laws to justify the escalation.