Cow slaughter ban: Cattle dying of thirst and hunger in Maharashtra

April 9, 2016

Osmanabad: Over the last six months, Laxman Ritapure lost ten of his cattle. Four cows, four bullocks and two calves. As Marathwada's searing drought lengthened into a second year, he ran out of water and fodder to feed them.cow-cattle

In this parched eight-district region where the drought has affected every single village, the beef ban which was enacted a year ago has come as a double whammy for farmers like Ritapure.

The new law extended Maharashtra's ban on cow slaughter to include bullocks. This cut off demand from abattoirs and paralysed trade at cattle markets. Soon, there was a steep price crash. "I took them to the cattle market last year but prices had halved. I tried to sell them again in January but there were no takers," says Ritapure.

He still 26 cattle left to feed. With just one acre to his name, Ritapure had bought ten animals seven years ago. The brood grew over the years. Ritapure now spends Rs 2,000 a week on fodder. The money he earns from selling milk just about covers this.

"If the government banned beef to save cows, it should look after them too," he says bitterly. Having raised the animals himself, losing them is particularly painful. "They are like my children. I would rather go without food myself than see them die," he says.

His neighbours have also lost their cattle in the last few months. Melon farmer Kiran Kale has lost one of his seven cattle. Suryakant Konde has lost a cow and a calf. "During the day, I just release my buffalo and calves. They graze on what they can find," says Konde, who has a three-acre field. The government is helping to fund 333 cattle camps set up in the region by private groups and NGOs, where water and fodder is given free.

As many as 3.2 lakh cattle in Marathwada are housed in the camps located in the worst-affected districts of Beed, Latur and Osmanabad.

For farmers desperate to save their livestock, the cattle camps are a life-line. But Mangrul's villagers say the nearest camp is five km away and difficult for them to access.

Farmers have to stay at the camp to look after their animals. But most camps don't provide bathing facilities or food for these care-takers. "I will have to travel home every day. Who can afford to spend Rs 50 a day on transport?" asks Ritapure.

"We do not run the camps," says Osmanabad collector Prashant Narnaware. "We approve applications from individuals or NGOs. We give them Rs 70 per animal per day from the National Disaster Relief Fund."

The majority of cattle camps are run by local politicians, including many who plan to stand for the zilla parishad elections next year.

The BJP's Santosh Hange, a member of the Beed zilla parishad and an aide of rural development minister Pankaja Munde runs a cattle camp at Nandurghat in Kaij Taluka. Hange plans to stand for the zilla parishad polls and is acutely aware that the camp will endear him to his electorate. "I am helping them during a crisis. They will remember me," he points out.

In camps that provide food and water for the farmers tending to cattle, entire families have moved in.

"There is more water for us here than in our own village," says dairy farmer Bharat Baglani who has been living at Shiv Sangram politician Rajendra Mhaske's cattle camp in Beed for the last eight months.

Comments

Sameer Kandak
 - 
Sunday, 10 Apr 2016

Better to trade all these cow to baba pathanjali , he can utilize for his low standard items like milk , butter & ghee etc etc

A message
 - 
Saturday, 9 Apr 2016

Dear Anthony,
U wrote everything right... But the last sentence on God...
ISLAM says ALLAH is the creator of all that exists.. & He knows whatever happening in this earth.. He is the most MERCIFUL.. cos of his mercy, Some of his creation do the evil and get away... But there is DAY it will accounted. That is the day, We will have to answer everything for the DEEDS done in this world which is the creation of ALLAH.
Suffering will exists in this world and those who oppressor people with their evil power will have permanent punishment unless they REPENT sincerely.. ALLAH forgives every sin except associating partners with HIM in WORSHIP.
God will SAve this COUNTRY for sure from the EVIL which we people CREATED cos people just believe what is said to them in the media....and elect leaders who doenst make sense...
When we look into who is ALLAH the true God, ALLAH's help comes even if you are in the deepest of the ocean calling him to help.
First Know who is ALLAH. When U know who is ALLAH surely U will depend on ALLAH and then the fear of such pity evil leaders will VAnish ... from your Fearful hearts that has been oppressed by these evil leaders.

Satyameva jayate
 - 
Saturday, 9 Apr 2016

Prakash..there are lot of genuine problems where wordings can bec twisted leave it...how can you save your Mata or how gods could die of thirst and hunger chodh yaar....ask you Hindu god saviors to stop this bulshit and stop seeing beef eaters.....as said in pk movie...sabh wrong number hai. just to screw minorities..
Sue your bjp rulers who can't save your God.

Rikaz
 - 
Saturday, 9 Apr 2016

RSS and Bajrangies should provide proper basic water and food supplies to these innocent animals.....it is solely those cow protectors responsibility to take care of them....they talk too much about cow now let they solve this problems too...

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coastaldigest.com news network
July 20,2020

Mysuru, Jul 20: Police and the Bengaluru City Quarantine Squad apprehended quarantine breacher “Drone Boy” Prathap N M in Mysuru on Monday afternoon.

Police sources said that the 23-year-old youth agreed to surrender following negotiations with officers. 

“He agreed to turn himself in after realizing that he had no other alternative,” said an officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

A team of officers from the Quarantine Squad under Dr Prayag H S and police from the Talaghattapura Police Station under Inspector Ramappa Guttedar said they apprehended Prathap who was staying at a hotel in the Mandi Mohalla area at around 3 pm.

Prathap’s father accompanied the team to convince his son to surrender. Police said Prathap will be returned to the city to be placed into 14 days of institutional quarantine. 

With two cell phones at his disposal Prathap, who is accused of twice breaching home quarantine regulations, fled the city on Saturday. 

Police, who were initially aware of only one cell phone, lost track of the youth as he drove out of the city, turning his phone off near Kengeri.

However, after quizzing the fugitive’s family, police learned that Prathap had a second phone and sim card. “His whereabouts were established on Sunday evening by tracking this second phone,” an official source said.

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News Network
June 25,2020

Mangaluru, Jun 25: Teacher-turned-serial rapist-cum-killer Cyanide Mohan Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment in the 20th and final case by Sixth Additional District and Sessions Judge Sayeedunnisa on Wednesday.

Cyanide Mohan Kumar (57) was declared guilty in the 20th rape and murder case on Saturday and the judge had pronounced the order before a small group of advocates in the court hall. Cyanide Mohan who appeared in the court hall via video conferencing facility from Hindalga central jail in Belagavi did not show any emotions.

The 25-year-old victim from Kasaragod was working as a cook in a hostel and met Mohan, serving as a teacher in 2009. He had met her at her home on many occasions and had promised to marry her.

On July 8, 2009, she left home on the pretext of visiting a temple in Sullia and

did not return. When her family tried to reach her on phone, Cyanide Mohan had told they were married and would return home soon.

Mohan took her to a toilet in a bus stand in Bengaluru on July 15, 2009, and had left with her jewels after ascertaining that she had died by consuming Cyanide. No sooner Mohan was arrested in October 2009, the family of the victim had recognised him from the newspapers. The police also recovered the victim’s jewellery from the house of Mohan’s second wife.

Sixth Additional District and Session Court convicted Mohan under sections of IPC 302 for murder with life sentence and Rs 25,000 fine, IPC 366 for kidnapping with ten years of rigorous imprisonment and Rs 5000 fine, IPC 376 for rape with seven years of rigorous imprisonment and Rs 5000 fine, IPC 328 for poisoning with ten years of imprisonment, IPC 394 for causing hurt while robbing with 10 years of imprisonment and Rs 5000 fine, IPC 392 for theft with five years of imprisonment, IPC 201 for destroying evidence with seven years of rigorous imprisonment and Rs 5000 fine, IPC 417 cheating and one year of imprisonment.

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News Network
May 29,2020

Bantwal, Karnataka, May 29: Vitla Police have registered a case against four persons, including a Bajrang Dal leader, on charges of assaulting a boy and forcing him to chant 'Jai Shree Ram', video of which had gone viral on social media.

Police said on Friday that the accused have been identified as Bajrang Dal leader Dinesh, a resident of Kanyana, and two 16-year-old youngsters from Kolnadu village and a 17-year-old boy from Kanyana village. The victim of the assault has been identified as the first PUC student of Kudtumugaru.

On April 21, at around 11 am, four accused waylaid the boy's bike and started abusing him. They then dragged the boy to Kadumath High School grounds and assaulted and posed life threat. Besides, they forced him to chant ''Jai Shree Ram,'' he stated in the complaint.

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