Around two weeks after they allegedly attacked and injured a number of stray cattle that raided and broken their standing crop, police detained two tribal agricultural labourers from Mathak village in Halvad taluka of Morbi district on Saturday below the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act (PASAA) and despatched them to separate jails.
The motion was initiated after Morbi district Justice of the Peace JB Patel accredited a proposal in opposition to the duo — Raju Nayak (26) and Baka Nayak (35) — each agricultural labourers, from Mathak village of Halvad taluka on Saturday. Raju was despatched to a jail in Surat, whereas Baka was despatched to Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad.
While Raju is a tribal from Bodeli taluka of Chhota Udepur district, Baka is a local Halol taluka in neighbouring Panchmahal district.
The duo had been booked by Halvad police below the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act after they allegedly attacked round six stray cattle that broken their crop on December 31.
After they had been booked on December 31, 2020, Raju had informed media that he was working as a share-cropper on a land in Mathak village. “I’m working as a sharecropper on the land of one Rajubhai but stray cattle are creating problems every day. We were not able to keep them at bay despite keeping vigil all night. Fed up with it, today, we attacked them. What we did may not be appropriate but we are here to earn something and what else can we do if they damage all our crop. We attacked them in a fit of rage,” Raju had mentioned.
Morbi district Justice of the Peace JB Patel mentioned that he had ordered motion in opposition to the duo as they had been concerned in “sending cattle to slaughterhouses”.
Talking to The Indian Express, Patel mentioned, “Working as farm labourer was their secondary occupation. Their main business was to send cattle to slaughterhouses. There is evidence to this effect and, therefore, we ordered police action against them. They are already facing two cases registered under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.”
Subodh Odedra, superintendent of police of Morbi, mentioned, “They had subjected animals to cruelty and there is legal provision to initiate action against such persons… we have done just that. Incidents of attack on stray cattle are on the rise and animal rights activists have been making representations against this.”
Prakash Dekavadiya, police inspector Halvad, mentioned that the duo had been booked twice in latest instances for attacking cattle. “Today, one more stray bull was attacked in Raysangpar village with some sharp-edged weapon,” he added.
Dilip Sakhiya, president of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), the farmers’ wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, expressed outrage over the detention of the farm labourers.
“No one can condone such brutal attack on cows and cow progeny. However, farmers have right to protect their crop. How a salaried employee would react if he is robbed of his salary earnings for an entire year? Stray cattle do the same to farmers. Government must find a solution to the issue of stray cattle in entire state,” mentioned the farmer chief.
Tapan Dave, an animal rights activist of Halvad, mentioned farmers should be delicate. “Farmers have encroached on guachar (pastures) for stray animals… And who is letting these cattle out? Farmers who don’t want a male calf. If farmers want to protect their crops, government is giving them subsidy for erecting barbed-wire fencing round their farms,” Dave who’s member of Shree Oum Gausevak Mandal, mentioned.
Dave added that assaults on stray bovines have been on the rise for the previous one yr, however the previous one month has seen a spike. “At least two dozen bovines have been attacked with acid or sharp-edged weapons by farmers in Dhanala, Palasan, Sukhpar, Miyani and Mathak villages,” he mentioned.
Six stray bulls had been allegedly poisoned in Dhanal village a number of weeks in the past.
The SP mentioned they had been looking for an answer to the problem. “We have asked our officers to hold meetings with sarpanches of villages and sensitise them about the issue. We are also reaching out to non-governmental organisations to take care of stray cattle,” mentioned Odedra.
