Peta Boy

Abuse to Bullocks

<!– /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>

On one fine Sunday morning, around 60 Jains come together to celebrate “Varshidaan” the renunciation (Diksha) of 11 Jains. I saw the Gamdevi police of Mumbai fined four bullock cart owner for mistreating the animals used in the procession of Jain community. All the bullocks were forced to drag heavy metal carts, each loaded with 15-20 people.

Animal lover and local resident Chetan Bhende, who brought this incident to the notice of the Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA), said five of 20 bullocks were in such a pathetic condition that one can actually see their bones and know that they have not been fed properly for days. This kind of mistreating can actually leads to paralysis in bullocks, which will actually lands them at abattoirs where they are killed.

Following the complaint, BSPCA vigilance squad moved to the site and caught the four bullock cart owner and took them to GamDevi police station. They have also registered the case under section 11 (animal act) of the IPC and fined them Rs100 before they were let off.

Speaking to the Mumbai mirror, one of the owners of bullock cart said we use bullocks only for such procession and ceremonies but others use them regularly to drag heavy tempo and make them walk through long distance on tar roads. They said that we are not cruel to our bullocks. We feed them regularly. We spend Rs200 on their food each day. The weak bullocks for which we were fined were hiring from other owner for this ceremony. But since our families have been doing this work for generations, we also continue to do the same.

Ashok Agre of the SPCA vigilance squad said, though it’s only a Jain community that always talks about non-violence, Ahimsa. It is more common for Jains to use bullocks in such procession. In fact, they also use horses and elephant on certain occasions. But Nikesh Jain in response said that who was present in this procession that ended at the Jain temple at Kemps Corner, “We had come together to celebrate Varshidaan and inflicting cruelty to the bullocks was the last thing on our minds. Our community believes in peace. We do not even harm a small ant, then how would we consciously mistreat the bullocks? We pay these bullock owners whatever amount they ask for, without bargaining because we know that if we pay less, the owners will not feed the bullocks properly,”

I want Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) to ban the use of animals in such procession and occasion in order to avoid unnecessary cruelty to the bullocks. And also imposing of strict rules would be better measure to avoid cruelty to the bullocks.