Lucknow, December 26: Aggrieved by the inaction of civic authorities, farmers in Aligarh district locked over 800 cows inside a government school and a primary healthcare centre on Tuesday. The bovines were later freed by the police personnel, who carried them in trucks to the nearest gaushala.

Farmers in Gorai and Tamautiya villages of Aligarh were forced to lock up the cows as several acres of farmlands have been destroyed by the bovines, left stray by their owners after they no longer yielded milk. Cow Slaughter, Banned by UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Creates Bovine Menace in State.

Speaking to reporters, the local farmers in Tamautiya said they are forced to remain awake throughout the nights in their fields to prevent the stray cattle from eating the the near-ready to harvest crops.

The number of bovines have multiplied exponentially over the past couple of years, since the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP was elected to power. The state government has rigorously enforced a ban on the slaughter of cows and cow progeny.

Apart from the government-enforced ban, vigilantes affiliated to some right-wing groups have been involved in attacks on cattle traders -- which has forced many of them to abandon their animals.

The incident on Tuesday in Aligarh led to a brief law and order violation as well, as the police team which arrived to free the cattle and take them to the nearest gaushala faced protests, including stone-pelting. The demonstrators were mobilised through a WhatsApp rumour claiming that the cows are being sent for slaughter.

The situation was brought under control, said  said senior police officer Ajay Kumar Sahni, adding that four miscreants have been arrested.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 26, 2018 05:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).