A farmer had to stay atop a tree for two hours to save himself from a bull attack in UP. (File)
In a swipe at the Uttar Pradesh government over the stray cattle menace, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said a special police force is needed in the state to protect people from bovines, after a farmer was reportedly forced to stay atop a tree for two hours to save himself from a bull attack.
The problem of stray cattle damaging crops and attacking people had become a major poll issue in the 2022 UP Assembly polls.
"Today's 'Saand Samachar': To save his life from the bull, the farmer climbed the tree for two hours," tweeted Samajwadi Party (SP) president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister AKhilesh Yadav, who has been frequently targeting the Yogi Adityanath government over the issue.
In the same tweet, he said, 'Today's 'Saand Vichar': Now, a 'Saand Raksha Police' should also be formed in Uttar Pradesh.
In a video of the purported incident, a farmer is seen sitting on a tree to save himself from the bull. The video of the incident that took place in Ballia has been going viral on social media platforms for the last three days.
Police said Khakhanu Chauhan, a farmer of Panditpura village, was transplanting paddy in his field when the bull chased him. It is seen in the video that Chauhan climbed a nearby tree to save himself from the rampaging bull. The bull also reached near the tree and stood under it.
According to villagers, the farmer had to wait for around two hours on the tree. The villagers claimed the bull has injured many people so far.
District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said that a campaign is underway to keep the destitute cattle in cow shelters.
He said it has come to notice that a bull is still in the open and people are facing problems because of it. The Chief Veterinary Officer has been directed to ensure that the bull is captured and sent to a cow shelter, the DM said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)