The cows were found dead inside a locked room (Representative Image) | Photo Credit: PTI

Key Highlights Sarpanch had keys to the locked room where the bodies were found Post-mortem reports suggest suffocation as the cause of deaths Local police departments are probing the matter

Raipur: In a case of animal abuse, as many as 10 cows were found dead at a village in Chhattisgarh on Monday. Bodies of the bovines were found inside a room in the state's Rajnandgaon district. This incident comes days after more than 80 cows were found dead at a shelter in Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada district earlier this year.

An official from the Barbaspur village in Chhattisgarh where locals discovered the bodies of the cows said that a police investigation was launched into the matter after the sarpanch alerted authorities. He added that concerned officials are looking into the matter and appropriate action will be initiated against whoever is found to be responsible.

Chhattisgarh: 10 cows were found dead in a cow shelter in Barbaspur village of Rajnandgaon after the cows were allegedly locked in a room. UBS Chouhan, ASP says, "post-mortem report will reveal if the cows have died of suffocation or starvation. Probe will be done." (19/8/2019) pic.twitter.com/TFeXMQYWKJ — ANI (@ANI) August 20, 2019

The post-mortem report puts the cause of death as suffocation, he adds. Meanwhile, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Rajnandgaon UBS Chouhan told a news agency that it was the sarpanch who retained the keys of the house where the bodies were found. One person had approached the sarpanch for keys but the village head had refused to entertain his request. It was the sarpanch who informed police about the discovery of bodies at Kanji House.

Earlier this year, over 80 cows were found dead at a shelter in Vijayawada. It was the secretary of the shelter who reportedly informed the Animal Husbandry Department about the deaths of the bovines. The shelter where the bodies were found has the capacity to house more than 1,300 cows. An investigation was launched into the matter but officials familiar with the deaths said that the cows died due to suffocation.

Similar instances have come to light from other parts of Chhattisgarh in the past. In August 2015, as many as 18 cows had died of suffocation at a shelter home in the states' Balodabazar district. Reports at the time had revealed that the shelter was managed by the village panchayat. The matter had come to light when locals spotted some people transporting the cows for burial in the village. Locals questioning the reasons behind the death of the bovines were reportedly the same who complained about stray cattle damaging their fields.

In Uttar Pradesh, 35 cows were found dead at a temporary shelter in Prayagraj district in July of this year. A senior official claimed that the deaths of the bovines were caused by relentless rains and lightening. Meanwhile, locals alleged that the shelter home was in shambles and little action was paid to the health of cows housed in the facility. Some even claimed that the cows were not being fed properly at the shelter.