A minister in the Karnataka state cabinet said he would order the shooting of individuals suspected of cow theft in the middle of the road in Uttara Kannada. The warning was made as cases of cow thefts rose in the district.
Mankala Subba Vaidya, Karnataka Minister for Fisheries & Ports Inland Transport as well as Uttara Kannada district minister, said if such incidents were to repeat in the district, he would order the shooting of the cow theft suspects without any compunction.
“We drink cow’s milk every day. It’s an animal we see with affection and love. I’ve told the police, be it anyone… take action against them,” he said, while talking to reporters in Karwar.
He said it “might sound wrong” but if need be, I have told the police to “shoot the accused in the middle of the circle.”
According to Vaidya, even though cow thefts were reported during the previous BJP regime, cow rearers should not be worried as under the Congress government, cows and their caretakers would both be protected.
The announcement came a few weeks after separate incidents of animal torture were reported in the state. In one incident cow’s udders were mutilated, and in another a pregnant cow was beheaded.