Cow smuggling: Police and BSF in a spot

From our special correspondent 

Silchar, Feb 20: Smuggling of cows through Indo-Bangladesh border is not a new phenomenon. The smugglers and their henchmen on either side of the borders adopt every tactic to take advantage of many a loophole in border magement. In fact, the fencing at many points is yet to be completed, leaving a gaping hole, convenient for the smugglers to operate. Mission Ranjan Das, former MLA and chairman, Assam Industrial Development Corporation, in a letter to L S Changson, IAS, Principal Secretary, Home Department, Government of Assam, has pointed out that the smuggling of cows and other cattle through Indo-Bangladesh border has shown rising trend for the last three months in the district of Karimganj.

 On Monday, Das said one representation from the people of Latu, Balidara and Tesua under Karimganj police station was submitted to him which rrated the mece of smuggling and cow lifting. Cows for smuggling are brought by the vehicles from outside and unloaded on road near villages Pathu and Baropara, also under Karimganj police station. Balidara is on this side of border in India where an incident of cow lifting took place from the house of Dhiraj Kumar Das on February 9 last. After frenetic search, they could not find the cattle and thereafter filed an FIR with Karimganj police station on February 13.

Similar such incidents of cow smuggling have been happening through Madanpur and Promode gar tea estates under Nilambazar police station. Swapan yak and his family members came under attack by cow smugglers on February 17 in which they were injured. They tried to block and prevent the smuggling, but were overpowered by the organized gang of smugglers. Cow smuggling, according to Das, is not limited to these specific areas but such cases are happening in other parts of the district without any check either by the police on the second line of defence or the Border Security Force.

 The villagers and residents living in the border areas dare not raise their voice against this kind of cross border crime, fearing backlash from the antisocial aliments. The sense of panic has so much injected in them that they have given up cultivation on their land as the daredevil smugglers have become active day and night. Moreover, these border residents are passing their days in mental anxiety. Questions are being raised in competent circles about the justification of police patrol posts and BJP border out posts. Despite their presence, cow lifting and smuggling go on ubated.

 Local police administration, as mentioned by Mission Ranjan Das in his letter, has no concern with the life and property of helpless people but with their own interests. The allegation of the former MLA based on the inputs of people on the border is serious and calls for proper answer from both the police and the BSF. If this border crime is not checked, cow vigilantes might jump into the fray and complicate the issue. The letter to the Principal Secretary was sent on February 19. People await the reply and the action to contain the smuggling.