The Bulls score

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ON THE HORNS OF A HOLY DILEMMA

BY BAPPA MAJUMDAR

Calcutta, July 7:

The road leading to the bazaar wore a deserted look, though dusk was yet

to set in. Eleven-year-old Munirul pointed at a bull and ran away, as a

snorting Dharma headed for the pile of vegetables.

The residents of this sleepy hamlet in Dakshin Barasat are living in fear

of Dharma, Shankar and Karma. The trio has unleashed a reign of terror in the

area. Four persons have died and several others have been wounded in the past

12 months.

 

The authorities plead helplessness. An inquiry is on, is all the Joynagar

police would say. "The bulls are gifts from devotees to the local Dharmaraja

temple. We cannot allow them to be taken away," says Rabi, a local resident.

 

However, others are not so tolerant. "Dharma had charged at Lokman Mollah

at the vegetable market. After a few agonising hours at the hospital, he died,"

recalls Samarendra Chakraborty, a member of the local Manabatabadi Yuktibadi

Kendra. Kendra members have submitted a memorandum to chief minister, Buddhadeb

Bhattacharjee on Friday, requesting his intervention in the matter.

 

Dharma's second victim was Dukkho Das. The bull had cornered him in an

alley, four months ago. "Dukkho was writhing in pain when we found him. He had

sustained injuries in his spine and head, and died at a city hospital," a

resident said. Some people had urged the police to take action, but a local

puja committee resisted the move. Two months ago, the bulls claimed their third

victim. This time Shankar charged at Kochi Mondal, who died of a heart attack.

 

Things reached a head on June 17, when Dharma attacked Sukumar Das. Das

was rushed to hospital, where he had to be operated upon. He died on June 30.

Even a few weeks ago, Dulal Mitra escaped an attack by Shankar but was

seriously injured.

 

On Saturday, villagers managed to tie Dharma to a pillar of the temple,

where followers of Dharmaraja, offered him vegetables and fruits. Shankar is

still at large, plundering the bazaar.