'Cows Dying, Being Buried Alive': Horrific Scenes in UP's Kasganj

Video Producer: Mayank Chawla

Video Editor: Mohd. Irshad Alam

On 31 October, horrific visuals of near-dead cows lying on the ground prompted villagers in Uttar Pradesh (UP)’s Kasganj district to stage a protest outside the government cow shelter in the village.

Angered over the uncleaned government shelters and the conditions of cows, the villagers alleged that the JCB machines were used to bury sick cows alive.

Residents Angry Over Cows 'Being Buried Alive'

Outside the cow shelter, an angry Kamal Kishore said that cows were buried alive using a JCB. “We rushed to the spot and got it stopped. There were skeletons of cows as well. Stray dogs were feeding on it,” said Kishore, a resident of the village.

Jay Singh, head of the village, alleged that the cows died after not getting anything to eat.

There is no hay for cows here. They were not given water to drink. Almost a thousand cows would have been buried here. The workers at the cow shelters are mostly sleeping through the night shifts.

Jay Singh, Head of the village

‘Cause of Death, Natural’

The uproar caused by the villagers led to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Prem Nath, visiting the shelter.

“One cow died of fever at the cow shelter. Out of 147 cows here, 142 are healthy, four cows are sick and the vet is looking after them. One cow had died earlier,” said SDM Prem Nath.

The Quint also contacted the District Magistrate of Kasganj, who termed the death of the cow as a ‘natural death’.

"One of the cows died there and we believe that it was because of the cow’s age. According to the report provided to me, it was a natural death. There were four other cows there that were sick. Surely, there is a cleanliness issue. I was told that after the cow died, residents had gheraoed the area and, we could not send our workers inside."

Harshita Mathur, Kasganj District Magistrate