Arindam De | Posted by Pranav Dixit
Burdwan, December 13, 2017 | UPDATED 21:11 IST
West Bengal police is on the tenterhooks with about a dozen buffaloes, presently in the custody of the Bhatar thana in Burdwan district for the last few days.
Image for representation (Photo: Reuters)A few years ago UP police was in all over the national media for first failing to prevent the theft of seven buffaloes belonging to a powerful UP minister and subsequently tracing them after a couple of days, amidst total media glare and coverage.
Earlier in the year, eight donkeys were allegedly jailed for grazing on 'expensive plants' to the tune of over rupees five lakhs outside the Urai jail in UP.
West Bengal police is now on the tenterhooks with about a dozen buffaloes, presently in the custody of the Bhatar thana in Burdwan district for the last few days.
Around last Friday local police, from the Bhatar thana, on a routine night patrol intercepted a couple of vehicles carrying heads of cattle without the requisite papers.
A truck carrying around dozen buffaloes was intercepted in Oragram on the NH 2B and another truck carrying some sixteen cows was stopped at nearby Bijipur.
The driver and helpers were not able to produce the requisite papers needed for the transportation of livestock. Police impounded the vehicle and the livestock was also taken into custody.
The case was forwarded to the court, where the drivers and helpers secured bail. The court asked police to hand over custody of the sixteen cows in question to a bailor. He took them into his custody and continues to look after them.
The buffaloes had no claimants, neither did any local came forward to take their custody and besides the court gave no separate ruling on the buffaloes. Hence, the dozen buffaloes continue to remain in police custody. They are being kept at an adjacent farmer's mandi. Police personnel and civic volunteer force personnel are guarding the buffaloes round the clock.
Police officers are at their wits end in arranging fodder for their wards. A vet has been roped in to keep a tab on the health of the bovines.
They are reportedly being given regular baths with water from the thana submersible pump. Station officer said, "Since there is no directive from the courts we are caring for them."