‘Frustrated’ Farmers Lock Stray Cattle in Schools, Health Centres

Video Editor: Varun Sharma

‘Frustrated’ with stray cattle eating crops and the failure of the state authorities to resolve the issue, farmers from Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh took matters into their own hands as they locked stray cattle into a government schools and health centers.

The farmers claimed that the government did not pay any heed to their complaints despite them approaching authorities more than once, which also led them to spend nights guarding their crops.

These animals are destroying crops. Neither the administration nor the state government have taken any action on the matter.

Mathura Prasad Sharma, Farmer

This event was also complemented by protests in the city and nearby villages.

Local cops noted that the event was triggered by false WhatsApp rumours which read that the cattle which were being transported from the school to cow shelters were actually being taken for slaughter. This led the mob to stop the vehicles and protest.

Government officials said that they were taking measures to build cow shelters at the earliest and that money has been allotted by the government for the same.

We have been trying to help cow shelters in the area manage the animals properly.

Chandrabhushan Singh, District magistrate

This event comes at a time when UP CM Yogi Adityanath directed the officials concerned to make immediate arrangements for proper care of stray cows.

In a meeting with senior officials, the chief minister told them to set up a committee to consider measures for providing better shelter facilities for stray cows and directed Chief Secretary Anup Chanda Pandey to present recommendations in this regard in a week.

He said the state government has allotted Rs 10 crore to each of the 16 municipal corporations to arrange shelter for stray cows, while Rs 1.2 crore has been given to every district for setting up gaushalas.