A bovine herd, including calves, was rescued in an early morning raid on a slaughterhouse journey in Ranchi on Monday and two persons were arrested for violating animal laws in the state.

The Jharkhand Bovine Animal Prohibition of Slaughter Act, 2005, bans butchering of and other forms of cruelty towards cows, buffaloes and their ilk. The herders were not just taking the 71 animals, bought from Pithoria, to an abattoir in the city, but were also allegedly beating and kicking them all the way, which has indicted them under various sections of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, as well.

According to sources in Kadru, the rescue was accomplished around 4.30am after a police control room van received a tip-off on the animals being herded along railway tracks.

"There were two youths and 71 cows, buffaloes and oxen. There were calves among them too. When the police patrol intercepted them near Haj House, the youths tried to flee, but were chased and caught. They admitted they had bought the animals from Urguttu in Pithoria and planned to sell them to a slaughterhouse in the city. There are many illegal ones in Kadru, Hindpiri and Doranda," said a source.

The source added that two CoBRA jawans, who were passing by, also helped rescue the animals and book the herders.

Argora OC Upendra Kumar Rai said the rescued animals were first kept in a field in Argora and later sent to a cattle shed in Ormanjhi on four vehicles. "The arrested youths have been identified as Julfan Ansari and Ata-ur-Ansari, both residents of Katamkulli in Pithoria. They are in the age group of 20 to 24 years," he said.

Rai maintained that the duo had been booked under Section of 11(A) of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act for making the cows and calves walk for miles on railway tracks instead of transporting them on vehicles. "They were also seen beating the animals often, kicking them at times."

Also, Section 11(h) of the Act has been slapped on the herders because the animals looked underfed. "They were not given food and water on the journey," the officer said, adding that since bovine slaughter was banned in Jharkhand since 2005, the two would face legal action on that count too.

Jharkhand High Court lawyer Rajeev Kumar welcomed the action. "Railway tracks are often used to bring cows for slaughter in the city. There are many illegal abattoirs in Ranchi. While the arrests are commendable, crackdown on unlicensed slaughterhouses is a must too," he said.