Cow protection squads in Uttarakhand

Following instructions by Chief Minister Trivendra Rawat for forming a special squad to keep in check the “increasing number of cases of cow smuggling and cow slaughter” in Uttarakhand, two “govansh sangrakshan squads (cow protection squads)” — one each for Kumaon and Garhwal regions — have been formed.

The instructions from Rawat came on Saturday and the same night, the additional director-general of police (law and order) Ashok Kumar issued an order for the formation of the squads “for the protection of cow progeny” and for the “effective execution” of the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and the Uttarakhand Protection of Cow Progeny Act, 2007, which prohibits cow slaughter and regulates the transport of cow progeny.

An 11-member cow protection squad for the Kumaon region would have its headquarters in Udham Singh Nagar district, while the 11-member squad for Garhwal would have its headquarters in Hardwar district.

DIGs have been instructed to form a list of illegal slaughterhouses in the 13 districts and to take “appropriate actions” against them. Reports on illegal slaughterhouses and cases of illegal transportation of cows would be submitted to the police headquarters in Dehradun by the 5th of each month, the order states.