RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh government Monday ordered a judicial probe into the death of cows in the government-aided gau shalas.
Officially 176 cows have died in three cow shelters in two districts of the state ten days ago, following which the remaining cattle were to be shifted to other locations for better care.
Local villagers alleged that over 350 cows have died of starvation and lack of proper care.
A single-member judicial panel headed by retired district and sessions judge A K Samant Ray will inquire into the incident and report to the state government within three months, the official notification stated.
The stipulated terms of reference for the commission include fixing responsibility for the incident, the number of cow deaths, and the reason for the deaths, and the measures to be taken for holistic management of cow-shelters to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
Preliminary investigations had found that the cows were starving in the shelters maintained by a senior BJP leader who has since been arrested.
The state’s agriculture and animal husbandry minister Brijmohan Agrawal suspended nine officials including seven veterinary doctors for the negligence of duty.