Who owns the buffalo? Kota cops turn to vets; use 'teeth test' for final word

NEW DELHI: Authorities in Rajasthan’s Kota found themselves dealing with an unusual ownership dispute this week, after two men laid claim to the same buffalo and her calf. The matter was eventually settled not by paperwork or witnesses, but by a veterinary medical board and a close look at the animal’s teeth.According to police, Ram Lal, a resident of Narayan Vihar, reported that his buffalo and calf had gone missing about a month ago. Despite searching for them for weeks, he had no luck until two days ago, when he spotted the animals tied inside the enclosure of one Indrajit Kewat in the Ramchandrapura Margiya Basti area.Lal immediately approached Kewat and asserted that the buffalo and calf belonged to him. Kewat, however, flatly denied the claim, saying he had bought the buffalo from Badi village nearly two years ago and that the animal was about seven years old.With neither side willing to back down, the disagreement escalated and both men reached Kunhadi police station on Saturday, each convinced the buffalo was theirs.“In the preliminary inquiry, both parties put forward their versions and tried to establish ownership,” Circle Inspector Kaushalya of Kunhadi police station told news agency PTI on Sunday. “Ram Lal claimed the buffalo was around four to five years old and had given birth recently, while Indrajit maintained it was a seven-year-old animal.”With the standoff refusing to end, police decided to call in the experts. A veterinary medical board was constituted and the buffalo was taken to a government veterinary hospital in Kota’s Mokhapada area for examination.After examining the animal’s teeth and overall physical condition, veterinarians concluded that the buffalo was approximately four to five years old, and not seven, as claimed by Kewat.Based on the medical report and other supporting evidence, police ruled in favour of Ram Lal and handed over the buffalo and her calf to him late Saturday evening.The other claimant, Indrajit, expressed dissatisfaction with the decision and was asked to produce evidence to support his ownership claim. When he failed to do so, the police formally closed the matter, confirming Ram Lal as the rightful owner.In the end, officers said, the case was a reminder that sometimes even a buffalo dispute needs a scientific resolution.