SHILLONG: The Farmers’ Club of Digligre village has prevented the smuggling of eight cows to Bangladesh through the jungle of Degligre village under Zizak Block under Kailchar Police outpost recently.
In a statement issued to the media on Friday, the Farmers’ Club members said that they prevented the smuggling and open grazing of cattle with the support of the village as the villagers want to ensure that their plantations are not affected by the grazing of cows. Moreover, there are instances of smuggling of cows through these plantations.
According to the Club, on an earlier occasion, smugglers had moved animals through the plantations and the villagers released the cows only after the owner paid a fine of Rs. 25,000 for nine cows.
According to the Club, after eight cows were taken into custody, the officer in charge of Kaliachar Police Outpost had called the leaders of the Club to the police outpost and asked them to release the cows without any fine. When the village elders resisted this, the officer asked them to release the cows after imposing a nominal fine.
After the village leaders refused to obey the order of the police officer, they were told by the driver of the police outpost that they will be arrested as they would be considered as thieves for stealing cows which were auctioned although documents revealing the purchase of cows n were not in the possession of the persons who were moving the cows through the village.
“This incident reveals the extent of the involvement of the law enforcing agencies in cattle smuggling because instead of making an inquiry in to the motive of taking the cows at night through the jungle of a village and that too against village regulations, the Kaliachar Police Outpost personnel apparently supported those who were smuggling the cows”, the Club alleged.
