Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said police in Dhubri district have been given shoot-at-sight orders after the discovery of meat near a temple sparked violent clashes, prompting authorities to impose prohibitory orders across the region.

Sarma also said his government would adopt a "non-compromising" stance in response to rising communal tensions and warned that beef is being "weaponised" in the region.

“Anybody coming out at night or throwing stones will be arrested. All those who have taken law into their hands will be dealt with severely,” the Chief Minister said, adding that the Rapid Action Force and Central Reserve Police Force will be deployed to contain unrest in the communally sensitive area.

The crisis began after Bakrid on June 7, when a cow’s head was discovered in front of a Hanuman temple in Dhubri.

Despite appeals for peace by local Hindu and Muslim peace committees, a similar incident occurred on June 8, followed by stone pelting at night. Further tension erupted in the Golakganj area of Dhubri when miscreants allegedly threw meat near a temple in Nalia, according to PTI.

Administration imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 on Monday and lifted it on Tuesday after relative calm, but the situation remains tense.

At a news conference in Guwahati, Sarma alleged that the state was facing a larger conspiracy backed by external forces. “These posters indicate that a communal force backed by Bangladesh is active in Dhubri and they are working to destabilise the district,” he said, referring to provocative posters put up by an organisation he named as ‘Nobin Bangla’, which had reportedly demanded the inclusion of Dhubri in Bangladesh.

He also claimed that a "new beef mafia" had emerged in Dhubri, procuring "thousands of animals just before Bakrid".

“This has come to my knowledge and I have ordered an inquiry into this. I have directed the authorities to arrest whoever has started this cattle trade,” Sarma said.

Although consumption of beef is not illegal in Assam, the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021, bans cattle slaughter and beef sale in areas where Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs are in the majority, and within a five-kilometre radius of a temple or Vaishnavite monastery.

Five days ago, Sarma had announced the arrest of 16 people for "illegally" slaughtering cattle during Eid. “This Eid-ul-Zuha, disturbing incidents of illegal cattle slaughter and recovery of cattle parts were reported from multiple locations across Assam,” he posted on X.

He cited five illegal slaughter sites identified in Barak Valley's Gumrah, Silchar, Lakhipur (Cachar), Badarpur and Banga (Karimganj).

“While our Constitution guarantees the right to religious freedom, it equally upholds the rule of law and public order,” he said, adding, “Strict action will be taken against all violators—irrespective of faith or background.”

While calling for communal harmony, Sarma made it clear that this would not come at the expense of “lawlessness or cruelty”.