Cow smugglers fire at cops in Bharatpur, flee to Haryana
Cow smugglers fired at police after breaking a barricade in Bharatpur district early on Sunday and fled to Haryana.
After Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath cracked down on slaughterhouses to which cattle was supplied mostly from Bharatpur, smugglers have shifted their trade to Haryana, police said.
“After being informed about a mini truck illegally carrying cows, police teams were sent to arrest the smugglers. A barricade was put up near Bilang village on Pahari-Kaman road,” said additional superintendent of police (ASP) Surendra Singh Kaviya.
“Smugglers opened fire when police tried to stop them. They managed to enter bordering state Haryana.”
Police officials informed Haryana police about the escape of the cow smugglers. “Bharatpur police are alert to stop cow smuggling, but Haryana police don’t cooperate with us,” Kaviya said.
Smuggling of cows to be slaughtered for beef is considered a business in Mevat area of Bharatpur.
According to police records, 65 cases were registered in 2015 in Bharatpur and 40 till July 2016 against cow smugglers under the Rajasthan Bovine Animal (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act 1995. The Act allows seizure of vehicles carrying cattle illegally and arrest of cow smugglers.
Superintendent of police Kailash Chandra Bishnoi said, “Six police outposts were set up in Mevat area to control cow smuggling. Rajasthan Armed Constabulary forces are also deployed in the outposts.”
On October 13, 2014, chief minister Vasundhara Raje approved setting up of 39 police outposts in the state for cow protection. Armed police personnel are deployed at Pasta Mod, Ghana, Amruka, Bedham, Sikri Fatak Nagar and Sahida Mod outposts in Mevat area. Mevat borders Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
“Night patrolling is done by Quick Response Teams (QRT). An ASP was appointed in Deeg after increasing criminal activities in Mevat area,” Bishnoi said.
With about 200 members, Gau Raksha Dal (cow protection group), an RSS-run organisation, has been active in Mevat area for the past two years.
Ramesh Kolawat of Gau Raksha Dal said, “We keep a watch on cow smugglers. At least 2,000 cows have been rescued from smugglers. Police cooperation is taken if required.”
He said, “Earlier we were not aware about cow smuggling; today awareness is spreading among people in rural areas about importance of cows.”
Rescued cows are kept in shelters at Jarkhod, Bhojan Thali and Badipur of Kaman tehsil in Bharatpur.