India man jailed for letting cows roam streets

A man has been given a six-month jail sentence for letting his cattle stray on the streets. 

Prakash Jairam Desai was found guilty of letting them loose and endangering lives, by a court in the western Indian state of Gujarat. 

The state is one of several that is facing issues with stray cattle on its streets. 

The court said the punishment was imposed to serve justice since such offences are on the rise. 

Cows are sacred animals for India’s Hindu community and slaughtering them is illegal in18 states – including Gujarat. 

In 2017, Gujarat tightened its laws around cows – anyone slaughtering a cow could be punished with a life sentence. 

An unintended consequence of that law means a large number of cattle now roam the streets, causing disruptions to traffic and attacking people. 

In its order, the court said that because of owners leaving stray cattle on the roads, people had been killed and suffered serious injuries, The Times of India reported.