More than 50 cows have died and almost 100 others have fallen ill after allegedly consuming poisonous fodder at a gaushala (cowshed) in the Amroha district of western Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. The incident happened in the Santhalpur Gaushala of the district where according to official sources 188 cows have been registered. After the cows started falling sick on Thursday morning, the district officials rushed to the spot with the medical team.
A village development officer (VDO) has been suspended and an FIR has been registered against the vendor from whom the fodder was sourced.
District Magistrate B.K. Tripathi said so far 55 cows have died after eating green fodder and several others have been hospitalised. “Prima facie, it appears a case of deliberate poisoning. We have sent samples for investigation and the report is awaited. A high-level team has been constituted and the responsibility will be fixed,” Mr Tripathi told The Hindu.
He said the preliminary investigation revealed a lapse on the part of the VDO. “It has come to light that the fodder was procured from a new vendor identified as Tahir without the due process.”
Taking serious note of the incident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath sought a report on the incident from the Additional Chief Secretary (animal husbandry) and Commissioner of Moradabad and directed the Minister of Animal Husbandry and Dairying to visit the spot.
