Bull gores woman to death in Palampur

Palampur, February 23

A woman of Patti Badehar village, who had gone to her fields to guard her crop from stray animals, was gored to death by a bull yesterday.

Sukri Devi died on the spot.

Upon reaching her fields, Sukri Devi noticed a bull damaging her crop and tried to scare it away with a stick. However, the animal attacked her.

Members of Sukri Devi’s family said she fell on the ground after being hit by the bull. Other farmers working in their fields rushed to rescue her, while the bull kept on hitting her repeatedly, they added.

Patti Badehar village panchayat Pardhan Balwant Singh said it was the third such incident in the area in the recent past. Earlier, two persons were killed by the same bull at the village, he claimed, adding that despite repeated requests, the authorities concerned had failed to capture the dangerous animal so far.

He sought the intervention of the Kangra Deputy Commissioner Hemraj Bairwa and Palampur SDM Netra Meti into the matter.

This is the fourth death caused by a stray cattle in the Palampur area in the last year-and-a-half. Kesari Devi (80), a resident of Rajpur, was killed by stray bull when she was on her way to a shop.

Uduo Ram, a daily wager, was killed by a bull near a local court last year. Meanwhile, the police have initiated inquest proceedings into the death of Sukri Devi. Her body was handed over to the family after post-mortem today. The Palampur SDM disbursed an immediate relief of Rs 20,000 to the family of the deceased. She said Rs 4 lakh more would be given to the family after completing the formalities.

The residents of Patti village and the family members of the deceased have lodged a protest with the Palampur SDM and Municipal Commissioner. K B Ralhan, an environmentalist and convener of NGO People’s Voice, pointed out that the government was collecting Rs 5 per liquor bottle as cow cess. “Where did the money collected under the cess go,” he asked.

Former MLA Parveen Sharma said the government had already completed a shelter home for stray animals built at a cost of Rs 4 crore on the outskirts of the town one-and-a-half years ago, but it was yet to be made operational.

He alleged the number stray cattle was increasing by the day and people were at the receiving end, but local administration was least bothered to address the problem.