Mysterious Deaths of Cows in Jhansi, Saharanpur Could Be Poisoning

In both of the cases, the police lodged an FIR, under IPC section 429 (mischief by killing or maiming cattle).

In strange news, about 14 cows were found dead at a government grain market in Jhansi’s Mauranipur town on Tuesday, 4 December, leading to an outbreak of protests by various Hindu groups, demanding that the police track down and arrest those responsible, The Indian Express reported.

The police, however, told the newspaper that they suspected the cows had died after they had consumed grains which were laced with pesticide.

In Saharanpur, a cow died after two people were allegedly seen giving it poison in Sadar Kotwali police station area on Tuesday afternoon. The alleged culprits were caught on CCTV camera, and were seen driving away on a motorbike after the crime. With the help of the CCTV camera footage, the police were able to identify them on Wednesday, 5 December, the report added.

In both cases, the police lodged an FIR, under IPC section 429 (mischief by killing or maiming cattle).

Jhansi

In the first incident, where the 14 cows were foun dead in Jharkand, Hindu outfits convened at the spot where they were found and threatened to intensify their agitation if those responsible for the cow deaths were not booked by the police in the span of a week, The Indian Express reported.

A day after the incident, on Wednesday, members of the Bajrang Dal and VHP conducted a meeting with officials at Mauranipur police station, to decide on the course of action to be taken.

“We also gave suggestions to avoid such incidents like construction of a boundary wall around Galla Mandi (the market where the cows were found dead) and make arrangements to dispose off grain laced with insecticides. We also asked them to look into the role of security guards deployed near Galla Mandi.”

Pankaj Gupta, VHP’s Jhansi District President, to The Indian Express

Meanwhile, the doctors who conducted the autopsies of the cows, reportedly preserved the viscera to examine the exact cause of death. “We suspect the animals died after consuming grains laced with insecticides dumped on the campus by the sellers,” Circle Officer of Mauranipur area Devendra Singh told the newspaper.

Saharanpur

In Saharanpur, a retired government official, Ranveer Singh Rana, told the police that he had kept his pet cow in an empty plot near his house in the Shivaji Nagar locality. Rana alleged that his cow’s condition suddenly deteriorated on Tuesday afternoon, leading to its death within a few hours. He alleged that he believed his cow had been poisoned, The Indian Express reported.

Here too, following news of the cow’s death, local residents gathered at the spot and demanded the police to take action against the accused.

Meanwhile, Circle Officer, Sadar area, Mukesh Chandra Mishra told The Indian Express: “CCTV footage from the locality shows two persons riding a motorcycle to the spot and offering some substance to the cow a few minutes before the animal died.”

(With inputs from The Indian Express)