Blue bulls wreak havoc on Haryana fields

HISAR, NOV 19: Killing of blue bulls, that venture into fields and destroy crops, has angered the Bishnoi community in the State who are kno...

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HISAR, NOV 19: Killing of blue bulls, that venture into fields and destroy crops, has angered the Bishnoi community in the State who are known to revere animals.

The bulls, commonly called neel gais, are found in large numbers in many parts of Haryana and Rajasthan and are responsible for destroying standing crops worth crores of rupees every year, besides causing a number of road mishaps due to its tendency to run across roads.

To get rid of the menace, farmers began laying live electricity wires around their fields. This illegal and dangerous act has already claimed three human lives besides killing two blue bulls in the recent past.

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The death of two animals early last month caused resentment and anger among a large number of villagers. A panchayat and then a mahapanchayat of over 15 Bishnoi villages was called to pronounce punishment on the two culprits — Bhola Ram and Ram Kumar — of Aiyalki village in Fatehabad district, about 55 km from here.

According to information gathered by The IndianExpress, the accused, Ram Kumar, with the help of his friend Bhola Ram had laid a live wire in his fields, which led to the killing of the two bulls.

A fine of Rs 5,100 was imposed on on Bhola Ram and Ram Kumar, who donated the money to a gaushala at Fatehabad.

According to farmers, the bulls, unlike other animals, enter the fields in hordes, causing widespread damage to the crops. The experts at Haryana Agricultural University (HAU), when contacted, expressed concern over the large-scale destruction of crops. However, they were reluctant to look for effective steps to even check the fast-growing population of the bulls in the face of religious sentiments of the Bishnois.

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On the other hand, some Bishnoi farmers, while speaking to The Indian Express expressed their reservations about killing of blue bulls but were in favour of taking effective steps to check the destruction caused by them.

“We have been facing ruination either at the hands of the weather gods or the blue bulls for the last coupleof years. At least some steps should be initiated or suggested to the farmers so that they could save themselves from their fury,” they said.