Cattle cured, people seal village to thank God

Nitish Sharma

Tribune News Service

Ambala, October 15

Call it superstition or the power of faith. Residents of Uplana village in the Saha block sealed the village for a day on Monday after their livestock got cured from a viral infection following their prayers.

The villagers called it a bandhan around the village. As per the bandhan, no outsider was allowed to enter the village and no villager was allowed to leave the village after 4 am on Monday. The bandhan would end after a havan on Tuesday morning.

Sukhbir Singh, sarpanch of the village, said, “Over a month ago, a large number of cattle got infected by muh-khur. Around 20 men from the village went to a Hanuman temple to pray. Within a few days, the condition of livestock improved. To express gratitude, we have tied bandhan around the village.”

He said people who were employed left the village before 4 am and would stay outside the village on Monday night. Only a few children from the village went to school. The village had a population of around 2,400 and the decision was stated to be a collective one.

“Despite treatment, there was no relief. People of the village decided to pray to god. We have not forced anyone. Some people who were not cooperating left the village as per there wish. Traffic was not blocked,” said the sarpanch.

Veterinary official Ramdhan said “Vaccination for foot-and-mouth disease was done in September. Some people whose cattle were pregnant avoided vaccination. The disease was reported in a few animals. After vaccination, it takes time for the animal to be fit. Despite repeated attempts and imparting awareness, some people prefer old customs to deal with the disease.”