Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Feb 5: Minister for animal husbandry, Prabhu Chauhan, has written to all the district administrations in the state, asking them to form cow protection committees in order to make sure that such thefts do not happen again, and also to take measures to avoid such incidents.

The minister said he has been going through media reports about thefts of cattle in the coastal districts. He asked the deputy commissioners to form cow protection committees headed by the respective superintendent of police, which should keep an eye on vehicles which transport cattle illegally. Another instruction he has given is to increase night beats by the policemen and to strengthen verification mechanism at the check posts.

The minister has instructed to make sure that an agreement between the owners and buyers of cattle is entered into in a stamp paper where time has to be mentioned and by using date camera app, photo should be captured with time which should be produced when the police seek to check the records. Wherever there is some doubt, station house officers have to decide whether to allow the vehicles to go, he stated. He also asked the district administrations to recommend to the government to hold police officers and staff responsible in case they are unable to protect the dairy farmers from the cattle thieves.

City police commissioner N Shashi Kumar said that the police have got some clues about some gangs having taken part in cattle thefts and that steps will be taken to arrest them. He noted that most of the thefts are happening in Vamanjoor and Kavoor area where several families are engaged in dairy farming. He also said that investigation will be launched into wherefrom the beef was procured and from where cows were brought, in the case in which the Ullal police seized beef and skulls of animals.

A delegation of cattle owners who have faced losses because of brazen cattle thefts, met the police commissioner on Thursday and submitted a memorandum. The commissioner asked the police to act swiftly when they get information about the thefts. The delegation is seeking suitable compensation from the government in the case of cattle thefts, registration of first information reports immediately after receipt of complaints and to recommend to the government to implement GPS transfer system for cows.