Uttarakhand: 11 cattle rescued from ditch, 7 others die

The police said some shepherds spotted the cattle stuck in a ditch of Kalapani Gadhera in Kapkot area of Bageshwar district

The district administration of Bageshwar has set up an inquiry into the case of 18 cattle allegedly being pushed into a ditch by some people, due to which seven cows died.

A local activist said people of the area have been demanding appropriate action to get rid of stray cattle. (Representational image/HT)

Rakesh Chandra Tiwari, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Kapkot, said, “Eighteen cattle were rescued by the SDRF from a ditch on Tuesday. How they reached there and who pushed them there is a matter of inquiry. I have written to Kapkot police to probe the matter.”

Eleven of 18 cows were rescued by the state disaster response force (SDRF). Seven cows had already died before the rescue operation could be launched, said Chandra.

Chandra said some shepherds spotted the cattle stuck in a ditch of Kalapani Gadhera in Kapkot area of Bageshwar district.

“They were wriggling with pain and hunger. They alerted a member of Nagar Panchayat, who informed the SDRF officials. SDRF officials rushed to the spot on the information, but they found six cows had died by then. One cow died later on,” he said.

SDRF officials managed to rescue 11 cows with the help of ropes. Later, the rescued cattle were provided fodder and medical treatment, he said

SDM Tiwari said, “It is case of animal cruelty and stern action will be taken against those found guilty. Police have been asked to identify owners of the cattle so that appropriate action can be taken against them also,” he said

Devendra Pandey, a social activist from Kapkot, said, “People of the area are facing stray cattle menace like any other area. They have been demanding appropriate action to get rid of such stray cattle, but this is an absolute case of animal cruelty.”