A cow was allegedly sexually assaulted in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district earlier this week, following which the police have registered a case and taken up investigation. The incident came to light after the owner of the cow, identified as Nama Butchi Raju, filed a complaint that the animal was missing on December 23.

The police said that the cow was later found, tied to a tree, at the outskirts of Gokivada village in Pithapuram mandal in the district, with swelling on the back. Raju then approached the police alleging that his cow was sexually assaulted.

Some media reports also suggested that the cow was three months pregnant when the incident took place. The incident also agitated locals in the area who staged a minor protest at the police station and demanded that the authorities take swift action.

A case was registered under relevant sections of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and the police are attempting to identify the miscreants.  

Asked whether it was sexual assault, the police pointed out that a medical test had been conducted to ascertain the same adding that the authorities were waiting for a report from the veterinary doctor to continue their investigation. They also assured that further details would be revealed soon.

While such a case of alleged bestiality is being reported against a cow in Andhra Pradesh for the first time in the recent past, there have been similar incidents against dogs reported from Hyderabad.

In October 2016, in a gruesome act of bestiality, a 22-year-old man in Hyderabad strangled a pregnant dog to death and sexually assaulted the corpse. However, the owner of the dog heard a commotion and asked his son to look for the source of the sound, following which the accused was caught red-handed, thrashed and handed over to the police.