AMC drive obstructed in Hebatpur, officials allege animals driven away

Officials of the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) have lodged a police complaint after their cattle-catching drive was allegedly obstructed by residents in Hebatpur village on Monday morning, with several stray cattle reportedly driven away to evade confiscation.

According to the complaint filed by Ankush Hemantkumar Suvera, a livestock inspector with the AMC’s Health Department, the incident occurred around 9 am on January 19 while a civic team was acting on information about stray cattle on the road near Saraswati Nursery, close to a farm owned by a resident near an industrial kiln in Hebatpur.

Suvera stated that he, along with fellow livestock inspector Hiteshbhai Vastabhai Chaudhary, police personnel from the cattle protection party and other authorised staff, reached the spot after receiving instructions from Assistant Municipal Commissioner Shreyash Kumar Soni. Upon arrival, the team found two to three cattle roaming freely, while seven to eight others were allegedly confined inside a fenced enclosure.

When the officials sought details and asked for a valid licence to keep cattle, a man present at the gate reportedly admitted that no such licence was available. The AMC team then informed him that the cattle would have to be confiscated as per civic rules.

The complaint alleges that three men, identified as Babubhai Mohanbhai Bharwad, his younger brother Vikrambhai Mohanbhai Bharwad, and their uncle Dikrabhai Sagarbhai Kantibhai Bharwad, refused to cooperate and obstructed the officials from entering the enclosure to seize the cattle. Despite repeated warnings of legal action, the men allegedly continued to block the officials.

Even after police assistance was sought and officers from the cattle protection party reached the site, the accused allegedly broke a portion of the fence and drove the cattle away, thereby preventing the authorities from carrying out their lawful duty.

“The accused obstructed the legal process and intentionally helped the cattle escape from custody,” the complaint states, adding that AMC staff present during the drive are witnesses to the incident.

Based on the complaint, the Bodakdev Police Station has initiated legal proceedings, and further investigation is under way to determine the sequence of events and fix responsibility.