(IN): Cows get photo IDs in security beef-up

August 31, 2007

Cows get photo IDs in security beef-up

Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri

Friday, August 31, 2007 09:09 IST

KOLKATA: India's Border Security Force has demonstrated that it will not be

cowed down by cattle smugglers on the Indo-Bangladesh border — it has

ordered Indian livestock owners to acquire photo-identity cards for their

animals.

All head of cattle in the villages of West Bengal's Murshidabad, Nadia, and

South 24 Parganas districts will now be required to carry their mug shots.

BSF's inspector general (south Bengal) Somesh Goyel decided to take the

smuggling bull by its horn because the unscrupulous exporters usually target

cows, considered sacred in India.

" Since the internal supply of beef is limited in Bangladesh, cows are moved

illegally from border villages, " a senior Nadia district police official

told DNA. Indian law prohibits the export of cows from the country.

The restricted supply has made Indian cattle a cash cow for the smugglers.

" Some Indian villagers willingly hand over their #milk-less cows to

smugglers for up to Rs3,000, " the police officer said. It is learnt that on

an average around 4.5 lakh cows are nefariously herded to Bangladesh from

West Bengal every year.

The vast riverine border stretch in South 24 Parganas and the unmonitored

and unfenced border areas of Murshidabad and Nadia provide ideal spots for

the smugglers to milk India's fauna resource.

But Goyel said many villagers are now voluntarily coming forward to have

their cattle photographed for the IDs. After all, smugglers do not

discriminate against productive cows.

The BSF is working closely with district and police authorities to implement

the unique programme The smuggling of cattle peaks before significant

Bangladesh festivals, when the demand for beef shows a corresponding surge.

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