6-yr-old boy trampled by rampaging stray bulls in Surendranagar village

The incident took place at around 2 pm Monday when the victim, identified as Viraj Bhavesh Metaliya, a class 1 student at the state government-run primary school in Nana Timbla, was on his way back to school from home after having his lunch.

Viraj, Viraj’s sister Mittal and their uncle Bhavesh’s daughter Virali were on their way back to school when they were trapped in a fight between two stay bulls near the bus stand in the village.

“After having their lunch, the three children left for the school for the post-recess session. However, a few minutes later, my uncle Ghayshambhai Metaliya and his wife Madhuben came rushing to our home, holding a seriously injured Viraj in their hands,” Bhavesh’s younger brother Ashwin told The Indian Express on Thursday.

Ghanshyam said that he and his wife were returning from their farm when the incident happened. “I saw two stray bulls darting towards the school from the village and trampling Viraj and Virali. As I was a little afar, I couldn’t to do anything to stop the rampaging bulls trampling the children,” Ghanshyam said.

The family rushed Viraj to a hospital in Limbdi town, where he was declared brought dead.

Ghanshaym said that the children had no time to evade the two fighting bulls.

“The stretch of the road where the incident took place is quite narrow, lined by a thorny hedge on the one side and by a wall protecting the embankment of the village pond on the other,” he added.

Virali, who is studying in Class 2, suffered injuries on her hand but survived.  Mittal, a Class 3 student, escaped unhurt. “After the incident, we assembled students and asked them to remain alert about such a threat. Through children, we also send messages to parents to either come and drop their children to the school or, if possible, come and deliver tiffin to those children who are not eating midday meal cooked in the school,” Vandana Metaliya, principal of the Nana Timbla primary school said, adding 292 students are studying in the village primary school.

Viraj was the son of farmers couple Bhavesh and Sheetal Metaliya.

Karshan Metaliya, another uncle of Bhavesh said stray cattle have been a nagging problem for farmers of the village for more than a decade.

“Around two years ago, we farmers pooled money, captured around 60 stray bulls and cows and sent them to a cattle shelter in Viramgam in neighbouring Ahmedabad district. However, during that operation, three bulls escaped. One of them killed my nephew’s son Monday,” said Karshan.

PN Makwana, the district development officer and in-charge collector of Surendranagar, said that they have reported the incident to the state government but also conceded feral cattle is a problem in villages in the district.

“We have forwarded a report received from the disaster branch about the incident,” Makwana said, adding, “While no specific written complaint had been received from Nana Timbla about the menace of feral cattle, many stray bulls are seen in villages and even on highways and efforts are on to curtail the menace by shifting them to guashalas and other facilities.”