The Amravati police claim to have 'detained' 58 camels near Dhamangaon, about 50 km from Amaravati city, reports from Pari foundation stated.
Inspector Ajay Akare, in charge of the Talegaon Dashasar police station in Amravati district told Pari foundation that the camels were not confiscated but 'detained'. The camels are now lodged in a gauraksha kendra (cattle shelter) in Amravati.
The Amravati police had also arrested their pastoralist herders- who managed to secure bail – from Kutch, on charges of cruelty to the animals.
The police had on January 7, 2022 seized the camels, following a complaint from a Bharatiya Prani Mitra Sangh (BPMS) leaded who claimed the camels were being taken to slaughterhouses in Hyderabad.
According to a tweet by veteran journalist P Sainath, the 5 semi-nomadic herders were going to Rabari settlements in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh to deliver camels that communities there had ordered through kin in Kutch. They’ve been doing the same for decades without anyone accusing them of cruelty.
According to the report, at least three gram panchayats in Kutch have sent in pleas to the Amravati police and district authorities to release the camels for open grazing, failing which they could starve. However, a final decision in this regard will be taken by a lower court.
