encounter
Pigs Get Raw Justice
Jaideep Mazumdar
Jaideep Mazumdar
20 Sep, 2010
Daparijo, a small town in Arunachal Pradesh, was the sort of place where a man could let his pig wander without fear.
Daparijo, a small town in Arunachal Pradesh, was the sort of place where a man could let his pig wander without fear. Which made the place prone to frequent epidemics. After several warnings were issued to owners of pigs that overran the town, stray pigs were rounded up and herded into the main police station. But the station turned into a makeshift pigsty in no time, and the cops were forced to release the animals. The District Magistrate has now issued ‘shoot-at-sight’ orders; police can shoot at any unaccompanied pig seen around town. The kicker: dead pigs will become the property of the state. The police are reportedly keen to implement this order for the returns it will accrue—enough pork to gorge on for days. But animal rights activists and pig owners aren’t happy; they’ve planned to demonstrate before the District Magistrate’s office every day, pigs in tow, until the order is rescinded.
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