Ex-Jammu mayor, others booked over ‘disappearance of 13 cows, 24 calves’ from shelter

In relation to the abduction of 13 cows and 24 calves and the purported embezzlement of funds from a cow Sanctuary, the Jammu and Kashmir Police filed a case against 10 individuals, including Chander Mohan Gupta, a senior BJP leader and former mayor of the Jammu Municipal Corporation.

On Monday, police informed a court that a formal complaint against the killing, poisoning, maiming, or uselessness of any animal had been made under the BNS sections that deal with criminal breach of trust, deceit, and mischief.

Gupta dismissed the allegations and said the case was politically motivated, describing it as an attempt to tarnish his image.

The case was registered on the directions of Judicial Magistrate First Class (Munsiff), Jammu, Rekha Sharma, on the complaint of one Rohit Bali, who is the general secretary of the Hare Krishna Gaushala Charitable Trust.

According to the complainant, he oversaw the Hare Krishna Gaushala Charitable Trust’s operations as general secretary, which included buying 25 cows and 24 calves. According to him, the administration later took control of the gaushala (cow shelter) after receiving directives from the Deputy Commissioner.

He claimed that after that, he received reports about illegal activities going on in the gaushala, allegedly involving Gupta and some others, including the disappearance of cows and their calves. On March 19, 2024, Bali said, he then went to the Jammu Khas Tehsildar to request an Investigation into the situation.

The Tehsildar visited the gaushala and submitted his report on March 23, 2024, highlighting alleged embezzlement of funds and interference in the management of the gaushala by the former mayor and others.

The Tehsildar also sought a report from the Chief Animal Husbandry Officer, Jammu, regarding the status of cows there. The latter said in a report dated July 6, 2024, that 13 cows and 24 calves were found missing.

The complainant then stated that he brought his grievance to the Bakshi Nagar police station, but the SHO failed to file a formal complaint. The SHO was then instructed to file a case once the complaint went to the courts.