Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday stated that an illegal trade in cows and calves was operating under the protection of the BJP-led Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Delhi Police. Accompanied by AAP karyakartas, he said he uncovered the operation beneath a bridge over a drain near Panchsheel Enclave in Chirag Delhi, where several dead cows and calves were also found. Police from two stations reached the spot after repeated calls and conducted an inspection, but no MCD official arrived despite the Deputy Director being informed, he said.
AAP Delhi State president Saurabh Bharadwaj said that MCD officials are waiting for AAP karyakartas to leave so that the cow mafia can comfortably move the cows elsewhere. He said that there is collusion throughout the system and added, “Cows across Delhi are dying after eating garbage, and people consuming their milk are also dying from illnesses.”
Saurabh Bharadwaj said that early Wednesday morning, some young volunteers carried out a raid beneath the drain between Chirag Delhi and Panchsheel Enclave, calling it an act of great bravery. “The bodies of dead calves, their skins, slaughtering tools, and dozens of cows along with their calves were found there,” he added.
The AAP Delhi Unit Chief further said, “Although police from two stations arrived after being informed, there was no response from the MCD despite repeated calls. Continuous calls were being made to the MCD inspector and the concerned department, but no one was answering. Local councillor Krishan Jakhar was also calling repeatedly, but no MCD official picked up the phone.”
Explaining the reason, Saurabh Bharadwaj said that around two dozen milch cows were present at the site. “If an MCD officer arrived, they would be compelled to take these cows away, which would disrupt their arrangement with the cow mafia. Police from Hauz Khas and Malviya Nagar police stations had been present for about an hour, but no MCD officer was willing to answer calls,” he said.
“A person present at the site said he was also part of a cow protection group and had reached there after receiving a call when another group conducted the raid,” he highlighted.
Saurabh Bharadwaj further said that an illegal dairy of cows is operating on the drain flowing between Chirag Delhi and Panchsheel Park/Enclave. “Several dead calves were found there. In these illegal dairies, cows are brought only in the morning and evening for milking,” he said.
He noted that the Delhi Police and the MCD are jointly enabling this business. “Dead calves were recovered from the drain, along with many cows and young calves at the site. These cows roam all day eating garbage, leading to painful deaths. People who drink their milk, he claimed, could suffer from serious diseases, including liver and kidney damage and even cancer. Cows that eat garbage cannot produce healthy milk. All these cows are brought in the morning, milked, and then abandoned to feed on garbage,” he added.
The senior AAP leader questioned why someone who merely keeps cows would possess a severed cow’s head and a heavy cleaver-like cutting tool. “A recovered dead calf was being falsely described as a dead piglet to conceal the matter,” he said and added that AAP had been releasing videos for several days showing that such illegal activities were openly taking place, yet no action had been taken.
Meanwhile, AAP Councillor Krishan Jakhar said he repeatedly called the Head of Department and doctors of the MCD’s South Zone Veterinary Department, but they neither answered nor responded. He said he had been raising the issue of cows in every ward committee meeting for the past three months. In the previous ward committee meeting, he even had an argument with the DC over the issue because the DC was defending the doctor.
Krishan Jakhar added, “The veterinary department’s responsibility is to transport stray animals and cows to shelters, but officials were not answering calls.” He said he had received several complaints from the area and had started making videos about the issue.
When Krishan Jakhar was informed in the morning that a calf had been killed and several cows had been captured, he alerted the police. “While the police arrived, no one from the MCD was willing to come or even answer the phone,” he noted.
