Manendragarh Chirmiri Bharatpur ( Chattisgarh): Cops are supposed to fight crime and nab criminals. They are not exactly trained for taking care of bovine animals. But this is exactly what has happened in the Pondi police station in the Manendragarh Chirmiri Bharatpur district of Chattisgarh.
Despite the shortage of policemen in the newly formed district, a policeman has been assigned the task of looking after five buffaloes. If one suddenly visits the police station for the first time, he may get the impression that a temporary cow shelter is being run there with the policemen sometimes bringing water in buckets for the buffalos to drink or preparing fodder for them.
It all started a few days back when following a tip-off that some people have loaded buffalos in a truck and are planning to take them somewhere, officials of the Nagpur Police Outpost set up a team and conducted a search operation near the Sarbhoka Tirahe and seized the vehicle along with the cattle.
According to police sources when the cops asked the accused to provide documents about the cattle loaded in the vehicle, they failed to produce any. The accused were arrested and booked under the Animal Cruelty and Animal Testing Act and five buffalos were seized from their possession.
Trouble started after the five buffalos were brought to the Pondi police station. Taking care of the large bovines proved to be an arduous task for the cop who have no other option till the owner of the animals are found. The situation has become such that the cops are considering handing over the five buffalos to the sarpanch of the village if their owner is not found soon.
Additional SP of the district, Nimesh Baraiya said that at present all the buffaloes have been kept in the post itself adding that they will be handed over to the sarpanch of the village and kept at the local cow shelter if the owner cannot be traced soon.
