Fed Up Farmers Lock 250 Stray Cows in UP School, Send Pupils Home
The farmers of Lakhimpur Kheri locked cows in school to prevent the stray animals from destroying their crops.
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Cattle roaming the streets of India is a common scene but bovines replacing students in classrooms is not so common. Such an incident took place in Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh where irritated farmers collected a horde of 250 stray cows and locked them in a primary school premises.
The students had to return home after their school was converted into a shed for the cows. This is the fourth incident where farmers have locked cattle in schools to prevent the stray animals from destroying their crops.
Insufficient Shelters for Strays After Slaughterhouse Ban
When the farmers approached the school with the horde of cattle, the teachers couldn’t stop them. Even the parents of students supported the farmers. A teacher took their grievance to the authorities at the education department, Times Of India reported.
When the officers from the education department and police officers from Nakha block tried to negotiate with the farmers, they demanded that a shelter house be constructed for the cows.
One of the farmers, Anirudh Kumar, blamed the ban on slaughterhouses for the drastic increase of stray animals. He added that the move was adopted to save cows but not enough shelters were provided for the stray animals.
District magistrate Akashdeep informed the state government about the issue. He is also making efforts to build a shelter with the help of NGOs and other groups.
Earlier, residents of Isanagar and Dhaurahra in Lakhimpur Kheri had already held similar protests two weeks ago.
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