New Delhi (AP) — An Indian court has sentenced a man to six months in prison for letting his cows roam the streets freely. According to the Times of India, judges in Gujarat state ruled on Tuesday that he had endangered the lives of others. According to the newspaper, there is also a general trend that there are more cattle on the streets. The verdict is intended to set an example.
On the roads in India – even in megacities like New Delhi – there are indeed many walking cattle, some of which cause traffic accidents. It is partly the cows that let farmers roam freely in urban areas because they have no grasslands for them. Some of them are animals that farmers no longer want.
Because there is a fundamental problem in this predominantly Hindu country: people want milk, butter or yoghurt – but many do not want to kill cows for religious reasons. In several states, including Gujarat, killing cows is illegal. Cows are sacred to the majority Hindu population of India. Also because of this conflict between emotions and profitability, farmers often abandon older males and females. Some of the cows find a place to stay at donation-based cow sanctuaries.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:221122-99-622678/3
