36 cows die near Chhawla due to ‘negligence, lack of food, water’

NEWDELHI: The Delhi government on Friday ordered an inquiry into the deaths of 36 cows at a gaushala (cow shelter) in southwest Delhi’s Ghumanhera village near Chhawla.

Animal husbandry department officials said the cows had died over five to six days and their bodies were not being removed.

Police said they were waiting for the government’s inquiry report and the autopsy reports of the dead cows to find the cause of their death. They said legal action would be taken if the reports suggested negligence or foul play.

But sources in the police said the cows died because of improper care, lack of food and water and the inhumane conditions in which they were being kept. Deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka) Anto Alphonse said the deaths came to their notice around noon when the Chhawla police station received a call about the deaths. 1,400 cows were sheltered there.

“The gaushala is run by the Acharya Sushil Gosadan Trust. It is spread over 20 acres of land allotted in 1995. Around 20 labourers are working there,” said Alphonse.

According to procedure, the DCP said, the police sent a letter to special development commissioner Kuldeep Singh Gangar to form a team of veterinary doctors to inspect the spot and conduct a post-mortem.

“Once t heir report is submitted, action will be taken,” he added.

Police said the borewell where water for the cows was sourced from is defunct. “We have learnt that the employee who took care of the cows had left around 25 days back and the labourers stopped taking care of the cowshed as they were not being paid,” said the officer.

Sadhvi Guruchhaya, founder of the Acharya Sushil Gosadan Trust, rejected the allegation, saying the trust was still running the gaushala. She claimed the cows died over a week. “The responsibility of removing dead cows lies with the municipal corporation. Despite requests, the MCD staff were not lifting bodies for the last six months,” Guruchhaya alleged.