A truck illegally transporting cattle overturned in coastal Balasore district of Odisha today, killing around 25 cows. Around 35 cows were injured in the accident. The truck was allegedly transporting the cattle to West Bengal. According to Inspector of Jaleshwar police station, Pradip Majhi, the truck turned turtle on the National Highway 60 at Alarpur area killing the animals on the spot. The truck driver fled the spot after the incident.
“At least 60 cattle were allegedly being trafficked in pathetic conditions. Their legs were tied up”, said Inspector Majhi. An investigation has been initiated into the matter. “The incident occurred at 6 am today. Our investigation is underway”, Majhi added.
The locals have accused the police of not acting on the rampant illegal transport of cattle in the area. Local Bajrang Dal activists held protests after the incident. A Bajrang Dal activist Pawan Kumar Sahu urged the police to take immediate action. “We have always alerted about the illegal transport of cattle in the area. We urge police to take immediate steps in this regard”, said Sahu.
There have been several instances relating to alleged illegal transport of the cattle in the area. Three trucks were detained in February this year on the suspicion of illegal cattle transporting. A month prior to that, some villagers had thrashed four Muslim men carrying a cow. Their SUV was also set ablaze on the suspicion of them being cattle thieves. In a similar incident last year, a van suspected of smuggling cattle to West Bengal was set on fire by some people in Bhadrak district.