Vadodara, Sep 2 (IANS): Two persons were arrested after Vadodara Municipal Corporation lodged a criminal complaint against a group of pastoralists for pelting stones at public servants and obstructing them for discharging their duty.

Mayor Keyur Rokadia told the local media: "On Friday morning, when the Cattle Nuisance Control Department were carrying out an operation in the Akota area, the team had caught three animals roaming on road, when a group of pastoralists and family started pelting stones on the team. A police personnel and a CNCD staff suffered injuries. A complaint has been lodged against the mob with the J P Road police station."

A pastoralists' delegation had promised that they would not release cattle on the road, but they also attacked the corporation team, such double standards will not be tolerated, he asserted.

After the High Court reprimanded the state government and Municipal Corporation over increasing accidents due to stray cattle menace, all municipal corporations have swung into action, catching cattle, and fining pastoralists, even demolishing illegal cattle stables.

This has irked pastoralists across the state, Maldhari Maha Panchayat and pastoralists are organising protests across the state.

Maldhari Maha Panchayat president Nagji Desai had demanded that either the government abide by its promise in protecting cattles or allot grazing land to feed them because after merging of villages, all the grazelands are acquired.