Two persons killed, one injured in clash over property in G Noida
GREATER NOIDA: Two cousins were killed while their uncle was severely injured when two groups in a Badalpur village allegedly clashed over a property dispute on Monday morning. The deceased were identified as Amit (40) and Salek (34), residents of Girdharpur village in Greater Noida’s Badalpur area. Their uncle, Prem Singh, is currently undergoing treatment.
According to locals, Amit’s family allegedly had a dispute with another group over a pathway adjacent to some fields in the village. The path had allegedly been blocked by the other group, to which the group Amit belonged to had objected a few days back.
“On Monday morning they were holding a panchayat with the village pradhan to resolve the issue. However, the two groups started arguing and the matter soon escalated,” said Pradeep Singh, a local from the village.
Eyewitnesses said the group Amit belonged to allegedly fired in the air and Salek allegedly slapped someone from the other group, after which things got out of hand.
“The other group started firing rounds in which Amit, Salek and Prem Singh sustained injuries in the chest. The shooters and their supporters then fled from the spot while the injured were taken to a hospital nearby,” alleged Singh.
Amit and Salek were declared brought dead while Prem is said to be stable.
According to police officers, the incident was reported around 11am, after which heavy police force was deployed in the village.
“It seems that the pradhan was related to the group Amit belonged to, and during the panchayat the accused party started objecting to the discussion. The land adjacent to the pathway in question belongs to relatives of the victim party. The suspects are on the run at the moment and teams have been formed to look for them,” said deputy commissioner of police, Zone 2, Harish Chander.
Police personnel recovered three vehicles from the spot, allegedly belonging to the suspects, which were left behind.
The family of the deceased has not filed a complaint in the matter, said the police. “We will register a case as soon as they approach us,” said the DCP.
He also said that the two groups were booked on an earlier occasion as well for disrupting public disorder under relevant sections of the CRPC.
The situation in the village is now under control, said the police.
The DCP added that the weapons allegedly used in the incident appear to be licenced and action is being taken to suspend the licences. It is also being verified if any shots were fired by the victim’s side as well.
The bodies were handed over to families following autopsy.
NOIDA: Severely injured and just out of a coma, Jitendra Kumar says merely fetching his morning milk supplies had turned into a near fatal experience as the 55-year-old was rammed by stray cattle.
According to the locals who rescued Kumar on Saturday, he was run over by a spooked cow who came running from behind near a local dairy, a stone’s throw away from his rented apartment in Sector 22.
Doctors said the victim -- in coma when brought to the hospital – had seizure, multiple injuries in his ribs, clotting and head injuries, and had to be kept on ventilator for a day. While Kumar came out of coma on Monday and is now recovering, the concern of local residents is – “who will be the next victim?”
“It seemed the patient had a seizure right at the time of the cattle attack, besides multiple injuries and clots. We had to keep him on ventilator for some time. By the end of the day he was extubated but kept in ICU. Now he is recovering. This is not the first time that we have treated a person injured due to stray animals,” said Dr Akash Mishra, senior consultant neurosurgeon, Metro Hospital, Noida.
With over 2,000 stray cattle— oxen, bulls and cows – mostly discarded and a few ferals already living out in the open with nowhere to go, one can easily spot a herd at almost every sector, road nook and corner of the city.
“There are more than 100 stray cattle in Sector 22 alone, where I live,” said Moolchand Sharma, the victim’s landlord.
Noida authority officials had earlier stated that two more cow sheds had been planned to house and feed stray cattle.
The residents of different sectors said they feel scared due to the rising numbers or stray cows and oxen especially around local vegetable markets and souks.
“It is really very scary as numbers of stray cattle are multiplying quickly. Be it any road in Sector 74 to 77 and especially the vegetable market of Sector 77, it is very difficult to commute at times, and also threatening as the animals can attack you. It’s high time the Noida authority takes the issue seriously,” said Amit Gupta, citybased social activist and a resident of Sector 77.
According to the authority, there must be at least 2,000 stray cattle on roads of Noida alone, and they are developing infrastructure for the same.
“The tendering process for larger cowsheds has been done. The new infrastructure will have a capacity to hold 1,500 cows and 500 bulls or oxen,” said SC Mishra, project engineer (health), Noida authority.
Officials, however, point out abandonment as one of the major reasons for the rising number of stray cattle in the city.
“Only 10 out of 100 cows or cattle on the streets are feral. The remaining are either abandoned or left on roads after their utility ends,” Mishra added. When asked why action is not taken against such owners,
the official said that they “tried and failed”.
“We had taken up drives in areas like Barola, Harola, Bhangel, Naya Bans and Nithari. However, locals, mostly owners, come armed with sticks and take the cattle back. What can be done with such stubbornness,” Mishra said.
Animal activists peg the number of bovines in the district to be around 5,000, based on the count of animals they fed during lockdown. The forest department, during their 2019 animal census, had noted at least 217 “feral cows” in the city – which are the second generation of bovines born to abandoned cattle on roads.
“Based on the number of bovines we have fed during the lockdown there must be at least 5,000 animals on the streets of Noida alone, including urban rural areas,” said Kaveri Rana, district head, People for Animal (PFA), adding that there’s a lag at the administration’s part.
According to experts, there is no data on fatalities or accidents caused due to stray cattle, and that ground work is needed to make the roads and cattle safe.
“This is such a big problem but everyone turns their eyes away. It’s the municipalities’ work to look for a solution. But the issue is that we have very little information to work this issue out, including no data on the number of accidents caused, leaving both human and cattle injured,” Rohit Baluja, President, Institute of Road Traffic Education.
WITH OVER 2,000 STRAY CATTLE — OXEN, BULLS AND COWS — ONE CAN EASILY SPOT A HERD AT ALMOST EVERY SECTOR, ROAD NOOK AND CORNER OF CITY