At least 12 cattle were killed when a pickup van overturned in Bhadrak while being chased by a group of cow vigilantes in the early hours of Thursday.

Officials said the vehicle, carrying cattle from Keonjhar district, met with an accident at Geltua Baramuda near Agarpada in Bhadrak district.

The van, which was transporting around 18 cows, had just entered the Bhadrak border when a group of cow vigilantes began chasing it. “In an attempt to flee, the driver and his helper sped away, causing the vehicle to overturn and fall into a crater on the road. Twelve cattle died on the spot,” sources said.

The axle of the pickup van snapped during the overturning. The driver and helper fled immediately after the crash. Six cattle were rescued following timely intervention by the police patrolling team and fire brigade personnel. Although the vehicle briefly caught fire, it did not sustain major damage. While some locals alleged that vigilantes had deliberately tried to set the vehicle ablaze, police and fire brigade officials strongly denied this.

Local police officer Baidyanath Sarangi told The Telegraph: “Our patrolling party rushed to the spot. But since the driver was speeding at breakneck pace on a foggy night, he failed to see the road properly and the van met with an accident. Around 12 cattle died. Local people also rushed in and helped rescue the surviving cows.”

Officials said that because Bhadrak is a communally sensitive district, some attempts were made to give the incident a communal colour. “No one set the vehicle on fire. A minor fire broke out due to the impact of the crash and was already dying down when we reached,” a fire officer said.

A few months earlier, cow vigilantes had seized four vehicles allegedly transporting beef and handed the drivers over to the police. The activities of cow vigilante groups have increased in Odisha over the past 16 months since the BJP government came to power. Even dairy farmers have come under attack.

Members of the Odisha Milk Farmers’ Association had met director-general of police Y.B. Khurania earlier this year, complaining of harassment by vigilante groups targeting cattle transport.

Association president Rabi Behera said: “We demand the arrest of the cow mafia involved in attacks on Mukhyamantri Kamadhenu Yojana beneficiaries in several cases. The government must formulate a strict policy to take stern action against cow vigilantes.”