Lucknow, December 31: Police personnel in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh district have decided to adopt one bovine each from January 1, 2019. The move comes after farmers started locking up stray cows in government buildings to protect their crops from them. Aligarh’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajay Kumar Sahni said the decision has been taken on the suggestion of some police personnel.

"Some incidents have come to our notice in which the bovines which stopped giving milk are often left out in the open to fend for themselves in farms or at other places. Lately, we have to face some law and order issues because of these animals," Sahni told news agency ANI. The SSP said some police officers proposed to adopt stray bovines. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath Instructs Officials to 'Ensure Shelter for Stray Cows'.

"Hence we have decided that all police station chiefs, circle officers and senior police officials from the district will be adopting one such animal each. This will also give a message to the people as well not to abandon their animals if they stop giving milk," he said. Sahni added that if needed, then these animals can also be kept at the police stations.

The SSP said that the purpose of the initiative is to encourage citizens who can afford maintenance of stray bovines to adopt these animals in the larger interest of the society. He said policemen will continue to adopt stray bovines till all cow shelters in the state become operational. Earlier, chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed the officials concerned to make immediate arrangements for proper care of stray cows.

This initiative by the Aligarh Police comes days after over 700 stray cows were locked up inside a government school and primary health centre in Gorai area of the district by farmers on December 24 and 25 to save their crops from being damaged by the cattle. "The cows are destroying our crops. For long, we have been demanding cow shelters from the government but no action is being taken," a farmer had said.

Last week, the district authorities had to deal with locals, mostly belonging to villages falling under Iglas and Khair tehsils, driving away the stray cattle to compounds of different government buildings, including schools and hospitals. Several schools in the area were reportedly closed as farmers turned the compounds into temporary cow shelters.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 31, 2018 12:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).