Cattle Smuggling expected to rise before Qurbani Eid but BSF is fully prepared
1. Every year, incidents of animal trafficking increase along the Indo-Bangladesh international border before Eid-ul-Azha i.e. Qurbani Eid. This year, Qurbani Eid will be celebrated in Bangladesh on 31 July. Therefore, it being a rainy time and the water level in the rivers flowing along the border has also increased. At present, there is a huge demand for animals for sacrifice in Bangladesh and the price is also higher than before. Therefore, during this time cattle smugglers execute their illegal bussiness to their advantage. The business of cattle smuggling has been flourishing in West Bengal since many years because its wires have been connected to big influential people. But since last year, the Border Security Force, South Bengal Frontier-Kolkata, has almost stopped the cattle trafficking.
2. It has been learned from reliable sources that the process of licensing 'Cattle Haat' in the border area of Bangladesh is going to be completed soon. In these 'Cattle Haats' most of the cattle which are smuggled from India are brought in. They are traded. The price of cattle in Bangladesh has increased significantly during this time of the year. At present, a buffalo of large size which is available in India for Rs 50,000 is priced in Bangladesh at about Rs 1,50,000 and a bull of large size is worth about Rs 80,000. Cattle smugglers who are involved in this nefarious and illegal business are the owners of several hundred crores and put the lives of many at stake by luring poor, illiterate and unemployed youths for a few thousand rupees due to their illegal money. The more strict the border, the more money is paid to these youths who are called 'Rakhals' in the local language. For example, when a cattle (buffalo) crosses the international border, a Rakhal gets 8-10 thousand rupees. For this money, the kingpin cattle smuggler puts the precious life of Rakhal at stake. Many of them have to lose their lives while doing these illegal acts like drowning in river during flood, night snake bite, die due lightning, trampling of cattle, getting killed in gang war, due BSF firing, etc.
3. In order to save the lives of innocent cattle during the cattle trafficking that happens before 'Qurbani Eid', this year, the guards of the Border Security Force have made all their preparation to meet this challenge of cattle smuggling. Border Security Force battalions deployed in Malda and Baharampur sectors have completed their preparations and are committed to thwart the nefarious designs of smugglers. In the most vulnerable Border Out Posts such as Neem Teeta, Harudanga, Madanghat, Sovapur etc.in Malda and Murshidabad districts, additional troops and resources have been deployed. Infact, the Ganga river enters Bangladesh from India under the responsibility of these border posts iwhen the water is released from the Farakka Dam, this river gets flooded which is exploited by cattle smugglers. The traffickers put the cattle in the river upto 8 to 10 kilometers up-stream , before putting them in the river, they tie the legs of the cattle with a rope, then bandaged it over the eyes and finally tie teo pieces of banana stems on the right and left side of cattle body and afloat them in the water. Due to heavy current in river, these cattle get drifted in the helpless state in water. When they approach the border line, the BSF jawans try to rescue them and take them out. But many times when the cattle smugglers put large numbers of cattle in the river, it is difficult to save all of them in floods by BSF personnel at night due to which many cattle are swept away in Bangladesh. When they arrive in Bangladesh, there are hundreds of Bangladeshi cattle smugglers who capture these animals through their speed boats in the river for the whole night- this task is sometimes done with the agreement of the Border Guard Bangladesh soldiers.
4. During this rainy season, BSF has increased the deployment of night camera tractors, speed boats to prevent animal trafficking before Qurbani Eid. Increased vigil across the border, and allows the soldiers to use non-lethal weapons. Instructions have been given that where necessary for the safety of life, troops can make effective use of required force. Temporary fencing / blockages have been placed at the border which does not have proper fencing. Trenches have been dug at the places where there are attempts of forced smuggling of cattle in large numbers.
5. The Border Security Force has made arrangements for joint operation with the local police. Units of the Border Security Force have set up temporary camps on both sides of the ghats, which are use for dropping of cattle into the rivers near the border crossing, from 8 to 10 kilometers up stream the ghats of the river, in which the border guards has already been deployed. Overall, complete arrangements have been made to stop cattle trafficking in the rainy season.
6. It is necessary to tell the readers here that during cattle trafficking, cattle are treated in a very cruel and ruthless manners by the cattle smugglers, which is described in this way: -
i) Injecting drugs before smuggling cattle so that they can run violently.
ii) The smugglers cut the tail or cut the tail half of cattle so that the animal could run at a faster rate by pressing the part cut by the "Rakhals" while running.
iii) The sharp-edged iron or wooden sticks used to inflict the cattle to make them to run fast.
iv) The cattle made to stay hungry & thirsty for many days.
v) When the animals reach the Bengal border after traveling hundreds of kilometers from the States of northern India in trucks, they get many injuries and breaking of bones due to overloading in the trucks. The horns of many get broken. Many animals have been bled by eroding with the bodies of trucks.
7. In human, ruthless and seditious activities of cattle smugglers are disgusting. When cattle are smuggled, many times they tie "socket bombs" or Improvised Explosive Device on animals so that when the Border Security Force personnel will rescue them, they can be killed or injured by their explosion. "Rakhals" of India and Bangladesh at times try to smuggle up to 400–500 number of csttle as on both sides of the fencing, by 200–300 rakhals whereas BSF personnel number up to 2–4 only. They attack the soldiers with sharp edged weapons, sticks and stones and bricks. Many times they also fire with indigenous bombs and pistols at Bordermen. So far in 2020, 16 personnel of South Bengal Frontier have been injured in various scuffle with trans-border criminals. At night, when the brave soldiers of the Border Security Force try to stop animal trafficking, when their lives are threatened, the smugglers are challenged, yet if they go ahead and attack the soldiers, they are forced to shoot. .
The new Inspector General of Border Security Force, Shri Ashwani Kumar Singh has given clear instructions to the jawans that he will not approve any incident of Border Security Force personnel in which any Borderman dies or suffers serious injury. Trans-border crimes will be stopped at the border at any cost and if criminals take up the law in their hand, then strict action should be taken against them under the law. Where jawans will be required to fire for their life, suitable and effective fire will be done. Non-lethal weapons will be used as appropriately as per the law of the land.
8. After going through such a cruel and cruel cruelty, according to religious values, the animals who are smuggled into the land of Bangladesh by cattle trafficking, they loose the qualification of being sacrificed on the occasion of 'Eid-ul-Azha' i.e. Qurbani. According to Islam, on the day of 'Eid-ul-Azha' Muslims who are affluent, they are expected to sacrifice their sweetest thing, so the goat or any animal in the house is reared and raised for several days for sacrifice. Even on medical ground, these cattle are not fot for consumption if human being. Infact, when a cattle undergoes mental and physical pain before killing / slaughtering, then its beef is not edible. Because when the a cattle undergoes torturous mental and physical pain, the lactic acid available in its body is completely depleted. If such cattle is slaughtered, them immediately after death of cattle, due to absence of the lactic acid in its meat / beef , many types of harmful bacteria flourish in it. A person who eats this meat / beef has to face illness.
8. Animal smuggling which is done on the international border is done by poor, illiterate, unemployed and greedy youths. These young men puts their life at stake while committing cattle trafficking, many have to lose their lives in this risky work. Many times these Rakhals are captured by BSF and they have to go to jail. But the law does not spoil the real cattle mafia i.e. big millionaire cattle smugglers because there is no evidence against them. Until real cattle smugglers get punished, it is difficult to stop smuggling altogether.
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