Stray cattle in India

India has over 5 million stray cattle according to the livestock census data released in January 2020.

[5] In Uttar Pradesh, many slaughterhouses were closed down by the BJP state government,[3] in accordance with the party's right wing Hindu agenda.

[11][12][13] Stray cattle pose a number of threats to human residents and animal welfare in both urban and rural areas.

These stray animals, including cattle, pose a major threat to air safety in most airports across the nation.

[15][16] In 2018, a stray cow on a runway caused chaos at Ahmedabad airport leading to two planes aborting their landings.

[21] The Wire reported citing internal Indian Railways data, that in 2019 around 70 to 80 cattle were hit by trains in India daily.

[22] In February 2019, at Etawah in Uttar Pradesh, the newly-launched Vande Bharat Express on its second day of service, had hit a stray cow.

[24] According to railway officials, 'cattle run over' events disrupt operations for several hours, as the carcass must first be cleared from the track before the train can proceed.

Fencing of the railway lines with concrete reinforced barbed wire have been suggested to reduce the incidents.

[2] SP promised to fix the root cause of the problem, removing the risk of trouble or harassment from the trading of livestock.

[12] On 22 February, local farmers released hundreds of cattle at the venue of an election rally in Barabanki located 40 km from the state capital, Lucknow.

Imprisonment of up to three years and fines up to ₹5,000 are applicable according to the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Animals and Birds in Urban Areas (Control and Regulation) Act, 1997.

Police have also threatened actions according to the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, in addition the stray cattle would be sent to cow sheds operated by the government.

The authorities of Tiruvallur district have also set up a call center to report incidents of stray cattle.

[35] The BJP state government claims to have provided money to the village pradhans to set up cow shelters to keep the stray cattle.

The Deccan Herald reported that it could not find cattle shelters in the villages of Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Hardoi and Unnao districts.

The contracts for the cow shelters were awarded to people associated with the ruling party, BJP, or the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh.