Over 60 cows and calves were found dead at Chandigarh Municipal Corporation’s biggest cow shed at Makhan Majra in Raipur Kalan on Wednesday morning, triggering widespread outrage and prompting the UT administration to order a magisterial inquiry.
Taking strict note of the incident, MC also suspended medical officer health (MOH) Dr Inderdeep Kaur and veterinary doctor Dr Ravinder Dhaliwal, responsible for the care of cattle at the cowshed.
Deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav, MC commissioner Amit Kumar and mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla rushed to the site to assess the situation. Shocking visuals of carcasses strewn across the cowshed circulated rapidly on social media, raising serious concerns over animal welfare and administrative negligence.
Preliminary findings point to a prolonged breakdown of the Animal Carcass Incinerator Plant located near the cowshed. The incinerator, used for cremating dead cattle, had reportedly been out of order for several days, leading to an alarming pile-up of carcasses. Despite the situation, no timely steps were taken to repair the facility.
Officials said the incinerator caters not only to the Makhan Majra cowshed but also receives dead cattle from surrounding villages.
Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla said the veterinary doctor in charge had been suspended and assured strict action against all others found guilty of negligence.
The Makhan Majra cowshed, the largest in the city with a capacity of nearly 1,000 cattle, was inaugurated by Union defence minister Rajnath Singh in May 2023.
Probe report sought within a week
The UT administration appointed additional district magistrate Amandeep Singh Bhatti as the inquiry officer to conduct a comprehensive magisterial probe into the circumstances leading to the deaths.
SDM (East) Khushpreet Kaur, UT animal husbandry director Naveen and the area’s sub-divisional police officer have been deputed to assist the inquiry officer.
As per official orders, the inquiry officer will submit a report within a week, after examining the immediate and underlying causes of the deaths, identifying acts of commission or omission by cowshed management and public servants responsible for oversight, and scrutinising relevant records, including post-mortem reports and viscera sample results. The probe will also recommend systemic improvements and preventive measures to avert such incidents in future.
Political furore erupts
The incident sparked sharp political reactions across the city. Local MP Manish Tewari took to X, demanding termination of the officials responsible. “I do hope that the Hon’ble governor of Punjab & the administrator of Chandigarh @Gulab_kataria ji will ensure that justice is done to those unfortunate and equal inhabitants of planet earth for not getting the dignity of final rites that they deserved,” he wrote.
Chandigarh Congress president HS Lucky, along with deputy mayor Taruna Mehta, councillor Sachin Galav and other party leaders, visited the site and demanded immediate and strict action against those responsible for what they termed grave negligence.
AAP leaders and volunteers also reached the cowshed, raising slogans against the BJP mayor and the BJP-ruled UT administration and MC. Congress councillor Sachin Galav posted a video calling the incident a major embarrassment for Chandigarh and sought a thorough probe. Chandigarh AAP president Vijaypal Singh also expressed strong outrage over the deaths.
Not a first
This is not the first time cattle deaths have been reported at city cowsheds. In February 2025, eight cattle, including a cow and seven oxen, had died at the Maloya cowshed after coming in contact with an iron pole that had become electrically charged.
