8-year-old dies after stray cattle pin her against wall in Noida

The incident took place when the victim, identified as Jacqueline, was on her way to a relative’s place to celebrate Rakshabandhan with her father and brothers. One of the cows pinned Jacqueline against a wall with its horns

An eight-year-old girl who was grievously injured when two stray cows fighting in the middle of the road hit her in Salarpur village near Sector 49 in Noida, died during treatment on Friday morning at a hospital in Delhi, police said.

Noida residents have raised concerns over stray animals after the incident. (Picture for representation)

The incident took place when the victim, identified as Jacqueline, was on her way to a relative’s place to celebrate Rakshabandhan with her father and brothers. One of the cows pinned Jacqueline against a wall with its horns.

Gautam Budh Nagar police on Friday confirmed that the victim succumbed to her injuries during treatment, though no complaint has been made in the case.

While Noida residents raised concerns over stray animals, Noida authority on Friday said that they are already working on catching stray animals and clearing the streets.

“We have been raising the issue of stray cattle for years now but it seems like there is no will in the authorities to deal with this issue as they have become completely indifferent. We have shared details of all major roads and stretches that have stray cattle and their approximate numbers with the authority, but hardly any action is being taken. An international city such as Noida is synonymous with cattle on every street,” said Brijesh Sharma, a resident of Sector 78.

Sharma added that cattle are not just causing harm to life but are also a traffic hazard and often cause bottlenecks. About four years ago, residents also ran a campaign called ‘Selfie with cow’ to highlight how every corner of the city is teeming with strays.

Noida authority runs two ‘gaushalas’ (cow shelters) – in Wajidpur village and in Sector 14-A. In 2019, it developed the gaushala in Wajidpur village and invested ₹2 crore to set up biogas plants on the campus to produce power using cow dung. The Sector 14-A ‘gaushala’ was opened last month. It has a capacity to accommodate around 1,000 cattle and currently is home to 500 cattle.

“We are already working on this issue and our personnel catch at least 10 stray cattle daily. The new shelter is being used specifically for the stray cattle that we catch. If we catch a stray cow that is claimed by someone later, we also get him to pay a ₹5,000 fine,” said Indu Prakash, officer on special duty, Noida authority.