E-Paper
BSF tasked with ‘taking care’ of cattle smuggled along Bangladesh border
Thousands of cattle being smuggled to Bangladesh but caught along the Indo-Bangla border have ended up being housed in the Border Outpost (BoP) of the BSF.
The Border Security Force (BSF) now has another, rather difficult job --of “taking care” of thousands of apprehended cattle who have no takers, said a senior official who didn’t want to be named.
As a result, thousands of cattle being smuggled to Bangladesh but caught along the Indo-Bangla border have ended up being housed in the Border Outpost (BoP) of the BSF. “A few months ago there were as many as 37,000 cattle that were being taken care of the BSF,” the official said and added, “we have raised the issue with the ministry of home affairs.”
The current count of feral cattle left in the BoP, however, is much lower. “There are around 2,100 cattle with us now,” a second senior official who didn’t want to be named said much of the stranded cattle are in BoPs along the Assam- Bangladesh and West Bengal-Bangladesh border.
The preventive wing of the Customs in a letter dated 1 November 2018, cited a Supreme Court order which said cattle needed to auctioned according to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Care and Maintenance of care property Animals) Rules of 2017. The Custom isn’t empowered under the PCA rules and therefore they refused to take responsibility. The Customs further requested that seized cattle be handed to the local police who are empowered under to carry out auction. The local police often refuse to take responsibility for the seized cattle without custody of the people responsible for smuggling.
A few non-governmental organisations have come forward, the BSF is forced to depend on the local villagers to source fodder, medicines etc for cattle. “The BSF is doing the maximum it can, but one cannot deny that cattle in our care is a distraction and stretches the force,” the second official said.
