JHANSI: At least 26 stray cows were run over by a train on Thursday night near Ragaul railway station in Uttar Pradesh . The accident took place around 11pm near Artara-Tinduhi crossing on Hamirpur-Mahoba stretch , when a herd of stray cattle were moving on the tracks and Lucknow-Jabalpur Chitrakoot Express ran over the cows.There was commotion in the train as it ran over the cows. The train stopped at a distance and halted for 20 minutes in the forest area before proceeding on its journey. The impact was so severe that body parts of some cattle were thrown at a distance.Meanwhile, villagers gathered and police were informed. On Friday morning, all the cows were buried nearby after postmortem.SP Hamirpur Hemraj Meena said, “A lot of stray cattle roam here in herds. In this case too, around 100 cows were moving near the tracks.”Railway PRO Jhansi Division, Manoj Kumar Singh said, “No passenger was injured, neither was there any kind of damage to the train or tracks in the accident.”In the Bundelkhand region, especially Hamirpur and Mahoba districts, stray cattle are let off under the ‘Anna Pratha’ — an old practice of abandoning the cattle after harvest of crops.The practice was in vogue as the cattle consumed unwanted vegetation and their excreta increased fertility of the land. Now, cattle owners abandon them when they become unproductive. The animals also destroy standing crops.Taking cognizance of the situation, Uttar Pradesh government has ordered to put all stray cattle in cow shelters by January 10.

Stay updated with all the Lucknow Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.