Four dairy farmers were allegedly attacked by cow vigilantes in Palasuni locality of Odisha’s capital city, Bhubaneswar, on Saturday, September 6, leading to the death of a calf.
Bichitrandra Behera from Alipingal village in Jagatsinghpur district said he and other dairy farmers purchased cows from Andhra Pradesh under the Kamadhenu Yojana, a five-year initiative by the government of Odisha to boost milk production in the state.
“As we passed through Palasuni, vigilantes blocked our vehicles and began abusing us. When we resisted, they beat us mercilessly,” Behera told local media.
He said the attackers accused them of being Muslims and dismissed their valid documents as fake, demanding money instead.
One of the farmers alerted the police, who rushed to the scene. However, the attackers fled. The death of a calf angered the farmers who protested by placing its carcass on the road.
“They hurled communal insults, attacked us, and in the chaos, a calf died. Who will take responsibility? We demand stringent action,” Bichitrandra Behera said.
This is the second attack in ten days, after dairy farmers at Baramunda were similarly targeted on August 28.
Odisha Milk Farmers’ Association president, Rabi Behera, strongly condemned the attack. “These vigilantes are systematically targeting milk producers, often for extortion. With the BJP government in power, their violence has increased while the police remain silent. Poor milkmen are being terrorised. The government must act decisively against the vigilantes to send a strong message,” he said.
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