Infuriated over the alleged assault on a veterinary livestock development assistant (VLDA) while performing official duty on Sunday by a farmer, VLDAs and veterinary surgeons of the district staged a protest on Tuesday and demanded strict action against the accused livestock farmer.
Protest and meeting with officials
The protesting employees first assembled at the Intensive Cattle Development Programme (ICDP) Centre, Karnal. Later, a delegation met Deputy Commissioner Dr Anand Kumar Sharma and submitted their grievance regarding the incident. They also handed over a memorandum to the SDO of the Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department, Dr Rupinder, seeking immediate legal action against the attacker and adequate protection for field staff.
Details of the incident
According to information, the incident occurred on Sunday when a VLDA, identified as Surinder, was engaged in a vaccination drive at Dabarki village under the government veterinary dispensary. The vaccination campaign is being conducted across Haryana to protect livestock from Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (HS).
A livestock farmer allegedly accused Surinder of being responsible for the death of a calf after vaccination and reportedly assaulted him. However, veterinary officials and employees strongly rejected the allegation, maintaining that there was no evidence linking the calf’s death to the vaccination.
Official response and demands
Dr Rupinder said the exact cause of the calf’s death is yet to be determined and that the VLDA cannot be held responsible without a proper investigation. He said vaccination drives were conducted to safeguard animal health and were an important part of disease prevention efforts.
“No one has the right to physically assault a government employee while he is discharging his official duties,” Dr Rupinder said.
The protesting employees demanded that the district administration and senior departmental officials take stringent action against the accused farmer to prevent such incidents in the future.
“We demand strict action against the livestock farmer who attacked our VLDA. Such incidents demoralise field staff and hamper government services,” said Azad, a VLDA participating in the protest.
