In a bizarre incident in the dry State of Gujarat, some goats in Kheralu town of Mehsana district fell unconscious after they consumed liquor that had accumulated in an open plot after police there destroyed liquor bottles seized in raids. “The goats of cattle-bearer Ramesh Patni fell unconscious after they consumed liquor, bottles of which were destroyed in an open farm on Tuesday last by police,” Kheralu town police inspector SH Bawa said.
Kheralu police, sub-divisional magistrate and other high-ranking officials were present there to monitor the disposal procedure but some amount of liquor must have accumulated in small puddles across the farm, Bawa said. The local police had crushed the liquor-bottles by using a road-roller and disposed them, he added. Patni said the goats must have found the liquor “tasty” and consumed it, following which they fainted. He said he was bemused on finding some of his goats “tipsy”.
The goats regained some consciousness after 12-14 hours of the incident, he said. Patni fed them some buttermilk to ease the effect of alcohol and tied them in his cattleshed so that they could not create ruckus. Kheralu town’s Regional Officer NS Gadhvi, meanwhile, accused district police of negligence.