In a late-night operation, the Mandya Rural police and a group of animal rights’ activists from Bengaluru rescued over 76 head of cattle from a rice mill at Kabbanahalli in the taluk on Monday.
A political worker had allegedly hoarded the animals to be illegally transported to slaughterhouses in Kerala and other areas, the police said. Members of the NGO Animal Welfare Board of India were part of the raid.
Kavitha Jain, who filed a complaint, alleged that the animals were subjected to cruelty in the rice mill and were crying for care and breathing space for the past several days. Drought and non-availability of fodder have been prompting farmers to sell their cattle to animal smugglers. The trend of buying cattle from farmers at a lesser price by taking the advantage of the agrarian crisis was increasing in Mandya, Hassan, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, and other drought-hit districts, Ms. Jain said.
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Cases registered
The police said they were questioning persons at the rice mill. Cases have been registered under various sections of the Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle prevention Act, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, Indian Motor Vehicles Act, and Transportation of Animals Act.