The Indian state has banned eating beef in public.

New Delhi: India’s northeastern state of Assam has banned the consumption of beef in public places, including restaurants and events.

Chief Minister Hamanta Biswa Sarma said late on Wednesday that this was an extension of an earlier rule that banned the sale of beef near certain religious places such as temples.

However, meat can still be bought from shops and eaten in homes or private establishments in the state.

Beef consumption is a sensitive issue in India, as cows are revered by Hindus, who make up 80 percent of the country’s population.

Several states ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – which also rules Assam – have cracked down on cow slaughter in recent years.