By Raju Vernekar
Mumbai, Feb 25:
Over 50 cows died of suspected acidosis, a metabolic disease, at a cow shelter at the Kaneri Mutt at Kolhapur in Maharashtra, where at present a 7-day “Sumangal Panchmahabhoot Lokotsav is going on.
While local media in union, maintained that the death toll was above 50, which apparently caused due to consumption of left-over dry rotis, an official of the State animal husbandry department, claimed that a total of 12 cows died (three on Thursday and 09 on Friday) so far. Twelve more cows were being treated and they were stable. A team of veterinary doctors has been treating the cows at the spiritual centre, he added.
Acidosis, is a kind of food poisoning and is caused by the consumption of cooked food. It is characterised by too much acid in body fluids. The cattle are not used to consuming cooked food and it is possible that the cows might have been fed with such food inadvertently.
To convince the importance of environment and the importance of animals, an exhibition has been organised and various food stalls have been set up. It is said that the food prepared in bulk, anticipating participation of a large number people, was going waste due to limited number of people attending the Lokotsav and the heaps of rotis/chapattis were seen dumped everywhere. This food is being fed to the animals and there is a possibility that the cows died due to poisoning.
Kaneri Math is the highest seat of the Kadsiddheshwar tradition. Its cow shelter has more than 1,000 bovine animals. “Sumangal Panchmahabhoot Lokotsav” organised by the “Shree Kshetra Siddhagiri Mahasansthan” of Kaneri Math at Karveer tehsil was inaugurated on February 20 by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
At present a post mortem examination is being carried out. While office bearers of the Mutt refused to give any information, in another accident the volunteers at the Mutt, tried to rough up the scribes covering the incident in which Bhushan Patil (of TV 9) and a cameraman accompanying him and others were beaten up. Condemning the incident, the Kolhapur Press Club registered a complaint with Gokul Shirgaon MIDC Police station demanding stern action against those responsible for the attack.
Similarly Swapnil Bapat and Pandurang Sarode, President and General Secretary respectively of the Pune Working Journalists’ Association, demanded immediate disciplinary action against the mastermind behind the attack. They demanded action under the Maharashtra Media Persons and Media Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2017 against the guilty. This act provides for three years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000 to those convicted.
