Ludhiana | Cow, its calf die after being turned away amid hospital strike at GADVASU

Gurdev Singh said they decided to take the HF Cow to the premier GADVASU university following complications during labour; however hospital staff was on a strike

For Gurdev Singh, a dairy farmer from Shah Abu Bokkar village, Zira, seeking medical assistance at the Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) proved costly as both his cow and calf died after being allegedly denied treatment.

The accused lamented the loss of a beloved companion and a major source of income, saying, he said he had spent over ₹5,000 on ferrying the cow to the GADVASU’s hospital. (Harsimar Pal Singh/HT)

Gurdev Singh said they decided to take the HF Cow to the premier veterinary university following complications during labour.

“But to our utter shock, when we reached the veterinary hospital, we were told that the emergency services were closed and no help would be offered. I urged the staff but to no avail. Finally, someone standing there told me to rush the animal to the veterinary clinic of the animal husbandry department,” said Gurdev Singh.

Singh revealed that by the time they reached the said clinic, the calf had already died. “The staff at the clinic, led by Dr Kirandeep Kaur, tried their best to save the cattle, but failed,” he added.

He lamented the loss of a beloved companion and a major source of income, saying, “I had spent over ₹5,000 on ferrying the cow to the hospital. Nowadays, buying a healthy cow or a buffalo is not easy. It costs between ₹1 lakh to ₹3 lakh.”

“We are pained at the inconvenience and hardship being faced by people. We share a special bond with the dairy farmers from across the state, we do not want to lose that trust. But our demands are genuine and the state government is deliberately creating issues with our salary scales,” Kumar said.