UP: Farmers lock up stray cattle to protect their crops in Banda

Farmers here on Friday locked up stray cattle in the government-run schools, saying that these mals were the reason for the destruction of their crops in the area.

Their action led to havoc as the students could not enter the school.

Speaking to , District Magistrate (DM) Hira Lal said: "We have filed an FIR against the people who locked the cattle in the school."

"We will investigate the matter further. The villagers have no right to do this. We are continuously making the villagers understand to take proper care of their mals."

Farmers, however, alleged that the cattle destroy their crops and hence they locked them inside the school.

"Maximum of our crops has been damaged. We even took this issue to the authorities but in vain. Since July, we have been demanding for a cow shed but of no use," farmer Badri told .

"We want to save our crops. We will keep fighting for the cowshed. We won't let the authorities open the school till our demands are not met," he added.

"We can't live like this. These crops are our livelihood. How can we run our family without this? The cattle have destroyed our crops massively. Nothing is left. The Gram Panchayat is doing nothing to address the issue," said Runny, another farmer.

( With inputs from ANI )