Daijiworld Media Network - Karkala (SP)

Karkala, Jan 10: A woman here was tending to cows like her own children. However, over the last 18 months, 16 of her cows were taken away by cattle slaughterers. This has left her shell-shocked and directionless and an environment of mourning has enveloped her home.

Yashoda Acharya (58) from Kaje in Kariyakallu in the taluk has been into dairying since the last 18 years. She lives with her daughter in a tiny tiled house about 15 km away from the main road. Her husband, Vittal Achgarya, passed away in an accident 24 years back. The mother-daughter duo took to dairying as their only means of livelihood.

In the recent past, cattle thefts have become increasingly common. Many of the thieves enter the cattle sheds and take away the animals. When the owners resist, they flash arms like sabres to scare the owners. In many cases, cattle tethered for grazing are taken away. Yashoda, during the last one and half years, lost 16 cows. The last one that was stolen on January 3 was in the last month of its pregnancy. Even after the mother-daughter duo sensed that thieves had come, they were too fearful to come out because of the fear of arms wielded by the thieves. They have no other option but to shed tears.

They used to contribute 25 to 30 litres of milk to the dairy and got income of nearly Rs 15,000 per month. Reposing faith on income from dairying, a bank loan of six lac rupees was availed to build a house. But the house construction is in the initial stages even as the cows were taken away one by one. They have not got government compensation so far. The two women, having lost all hopes, keep cursing their cruel destiny.

Sudhakar Shetty, living a little away from Yashoda's house, is a former gram panchayat member. He has lost 12 cows so far. Two days after taking away the last cow of Yashoda, the thieves took away a milking cow from his cattle shed. Many living in the neighbourhood have lost several of their cows, and they concur with the view that filing a police complaint is a futile exercise. The thefts are continuing even after the cow slaughter ban has been enforced in the state.

Yashoda rues the fact that the cows raised by her all these years through hard work have been stolen one by one and that they are afraid to come out at night because of the fear of cattle thieves.

Madhu, Karkala town station sub-inspector, says that relating to the loss of a pregnant cow belonging to Yashoda, investigation is going on and a couple of persons have been questioned based on suspicion.