cow mad
© Keiko Matsuno
Two days after a 50-year-old woman Paru Madrasi, was gored by a stray cow near the Odhav Canal, a 62-year-old man, Gopinath Tiwari, a resident of Vinobabhavenagar was gored and trampled to death by a cow on Saturday morning.

The animal's onslaught on Tiwari lasted for about 20 minutes, and ended with him falling unconscious and slipping into death while being taken to hospital, eyewitnesses said.

Eyewitnesses said they tried to chase the cow away with sticks and even threw stones at her, but she continued to gore and trample Tiwari. "After about 20 minutes the cow finally ran away. We called emergency services, but he died before he could be taken to LG Hospital," said an eye witness.

Vivekanandnagar police officials made an entry about the incident in their police station diary and are trying to ascertain whether the animal concerned was feral or was owned by someone who let it loose to graze.

Tiwari's family members said he had gone out in the morning with his grandson to buy something, and as he was crossing road at Vinobabhavenagar, the cow gored him from behind, sending him crashing on to the road.

"It goring him in the chest and kicked and trampled him several times in the stomach and chest. The animal did not retreat when passerby rushed in to save him and continued attacking Tiwari for 20 minutes," a family member said.

The chairman of the AMC's health committee, Paresh Patel, said the civic body has so far not compensated any death caused by a cow, but they would "sit together and figure out what could be done in this case".

AMC and city police commissioners to see that no person sells fodder on public roads. There should be daily checks by police and if it is found that fodder is being sold on the roads, the police officer concerned will be held personally responsible.

AMC must relocate all stray cattle from roads to gaushalas or institutions sheltering stray cattle.
Prosecution should be launched against the owners of cattle found wandering on the roads unattended.

AMC should deploy an adequate number of personnel and vehicles to impound and relocate animals, and state government should assist the civic body financially.

Vehicles carrying cattle should be fitted with ramps to injuries to the animals. The Prevention of Animal Cruelty Act should be followed in impounding, transporting and keeping cattle.