The Baleswar police have been helping the mafia in transporting cattle in large numbers to West Bengal. In a week, they helped the mafia transport 70 truckloads of cattle to West Bengal for purpose of slaughter. Each truck purportedly carried 16 cattle.
From the midnight of August 24 to the morning of August 30 last, the police, under the supervision of different IICs of the district police stations on the NH 5, have been personally supervising this illegal operation.
So, a total of 1,120 cattle have been sent for slaughter officially.
This is over and above the covert smuggling being done by the mafia with the help of the district police.
Hundreds of cattle-stuffed containers have been smuggled through the Seragarh tollgate with police help in the month of August last. Even otherwise, it is an open secret that 5,000 cattle are being smuggled each day through Baleswar to West Bengal for the purpose of slaughter.
Shockingly, a special police camp has been set up at the Seragarh tollgate, not to stop the smugglers but to give them a free passage.
This is in violation of the Orissa Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1960, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and the Motor Vehicles Act, said honorary animal welfare officer with the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and Gau Gyan Foundation spokesperson Jagpreet luthra.
Nothing proves the cattle mafia-Balasore police criminal conspiracy better than this, he added.
“During the night of August 28, I saw the police aid and abet the crime of cattle-smuggling for the purpose of slaughter in West Bengal.
A farcical verification exercise was carried out by the police under the command of the Simulia IIC at the Seragarh tollgate and the trucks were allowed to pass and go to West Bengal for the purpose of slaughter,” said luthra, who claimed that he had photographic evidence of the cattle-loaded trucks going into West Bengal.
Earlier, the Motor Vehicles Inspector, who stood with his team just before the Seragarh tollgate, fined these trucks for transporting cattle. Yet, a few minutes later and at a short distance of 200 meters, the police gave green signal to these trucks, he said further.
The trucks allowed to transport cattle are OR 09 K 0567, OR 09 J 4962, OR 04 l 8855, OR09 K 9534, OR 09 G 5300, OR 04 K 6186, OR04 l 8687, OR 04 l 6186, OR 09 N 8625, OR 09 N 1654, OR 04 H 4495, OR 09 l 2207, OR 09 N 0647, OR 09 K 1066, OR 05 AP 1674, OR 04 H 8489, OR 09 N 5358, OR 04 F 2709, OR 04 M 6587, OR 14 N 3497, OR 09 G 5453, OR J 5952, OR 04 H 7293, OR 04 H 4595,
During the night of August 30, the Bhadrak police seized three of the 40 cattle-smuggling trucks that were set to take off from Bhadrak and go to West Bengal for the purpose of slaughter. The Bhadrak police, in keeping with the law, booked a case against the trucks it could stop.
According to the case booked against the three trucks, they did not have a permit to transport cattle and, as such, were liable for a criminal case. The rest of the 40 trucks, upon seeing this, returned to their illegal dumping yards and unloaded the cattle.
luthra sought an intervention to save the thousands of cows being sent for slaughter to West Bengal and action against the errant police.