Two held after camel abuse case registered in Tharparkar

KARACHI: Police have registered a case against six people and arrested two suspects in Tharparkar after a female camel was found severely tortured, following an inquiry order from Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.

According to the Station House Officer of Kheensar Police Station, two of the accused have been taken into custody, while raids are continuing to arrest the others named in the first information report. A spokesperson for Tharparkar police said the incident took place around 10 days ago in a village in Union Council Char Noor of Dahli tehsil. The case was lodged at Kheensar Police Station on the complaint of the camel’s owner.

Complaint and police case

A day earlier, the camel’s owner, who belongs to village Bangal Rind, told media that several men had taken away the animal, tied it up and subjected it to brutal abuse, including damaging its eyes. The FIR states that the owner, along with others, traced the missing camel to the neighbouring village of Khan Muhammad Rind, where it was allegedly found tied inside a barn with its legs bound.

According to the complaint, when the owner confronted those present there, several people gathered and said the camel would often enter their land and eat fodder. The FIR further alleges that the animal was kept in captivity for days, during which it was whipped and deprived of food. The complainant also said he was threatened when he tried to recover the camel, and that his family first approached village elders and a local panchayat in an effort to resolve the matter before going to police.

Veterinary findings

Separately, a technical committee set up by the Tharparkar Livestock Department visited the village to examine the camel and investigate the incident. The committee was headed by Deputy Director Dr Ajay Kumar Rupani. Its preliminary findings identified the animal as a 13-year-old lactating Dhatti-breed cow camel that had a four-month-old calf.

Influential people in the area allegedly captured and confined the camel before inflicting serious physical abuse. Veterinary specialists found that repeated blows with sticks and heavy objects had completely ruptured the camel’s right eye, causing permanent blindness in that eye. The left eye was also described as badly swollen and injured, with further examination planned to determine the full extent of the damage.

The medical assessment also recorded deep rope injuries on the neck, legs and knees, which officials said suggested prolonged restraint. The camel had become too weak to walk properly or graze because of hunger, dehydration and continued mistreatment. The Livestock Department has started emergency treatment, including medication and wound care, and assigned staff to monitor the animal daily.

Referring to the inquiry findings, Rupani said the matter had been placed before the relevant authorities.

"The findings have been submitted to higher authorities so that those involved in this act of cruelty against a voiceless animal can be brought to justice in accordance with the law,"