A video circulating on social media showing dead cattle being dragged and dumped down a hillside from a Gausadan (cow shelter) in the Maigal area of Padhar subdivision in Mandi district has triggered widespread outrage among local residents and social organisations.

Local villagers, including Ramesh Kumar, Joginder Singh, Man Singh, Budhi Singh and Suresh Kumar, condemned the alleged dumping of the dead cattle. They said that disposing of the dead animals in the open posed a serious environmental and public health hazard. “Rotting carcasses are spreading a foul stench across the area and significantly increasing the risk of infectious diseases,” they said.

This is not the first time the Maigal Gausadan has come under public scrutiny. Around five to six months ago, villagers had complained about a strong foul smell emanating from a drain near the cow shelter. At that time, commuters travelling along the national highway also reported considerable inconvenience, raising concerns over the proper disposal of animal carcasses.

Gausadan operator ML Patiyal defended the shelter’s practices and said that the shelter was facing a shortage of local workers for the disposal of dead cattle. “We have to bring in workers from Dahar in Sundernagar to carry out this work,” he added.

Patiyal said that the dead cattle were not dumped in the open but were buried in pits excavated using a JCB machine. Meanwhile, the district administration has taken cognisance of the matter. SDM (Sadar) Chander Prakash Singh said, “The matter has come to my notice. Appropriate legal action will be taken in accordance with the rules.”