Cow smugglers are using the most cruel way to transport cows from Assam to Bangladesh via river Brahmaputra according to Financialexpress.com.
New Delhi, June 22, 2017: Cow smuggling: At a time when the government has launched a crackdown on cattle smuggling in the country, a report has exposed how smugglers are using the most cruel way to transport cows from Assam to Bangladesh via river Brahmaputra. In an exclusive report, India Today TV has exposed that cow smugglers in district Dhubri of Assam tie the legs of the animal to wood logs and raft them across the river to the neighbouring country. The smugglers do so in a bid to dodge security forces.
Locals told that channel that everyday the smugglers transport around 300-400 cows by this way. The cows are also marked with symbols to make it easy to identify for traders across the border. However, many cows die in the process.
In April this year, the Supreme Court had said that paramilitary forces and the local administration in the districts bordering Bangladesh should be involved in preventing cattle smuggling. The apex court had also directed the Centre to finalise the rules in this regard. A bench of Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud said the Centre has already prepared draft rules to prevent cattle from being smuggled to Nepal and same rules, when finalised, will be applicable to Bangladesh as well.
A day before the top court issued the direction, the Centre told SC that a unique identification number for animals has been suggested by an expert panel to evolve a mechanism to stop trafficking of cattle across the Indo-Bangla border, reported PTI.
India shares 4096-km border with Bangladesh. The border is notorious for smuggling of cattle, narcotics and fake Indian currency notes.
As the government is tightening the noose against cattle smuggling, the criminals are resorting to innovative ways to transport cows across the border Financialexpress.com further added.
Media reports further suggests In April, the BSF had discovered a 80-feet long tunnel on India-Bangladesh border in Kishanganj, Bihar. The BSF reportedly believed that the tunnel was used for smuggling cattle.
