About 250 pigeons are alleged to have died after eating poison-laced grass seed on a neighbour's land in Mallikpur village of Chatmohar upazila, Pabna. SK Panna Mamun, owner of the affected pigeon farm, lodged a written complaint with the police on Sunday (13 March) seeking justice. The incident happened on Saturday (12 March).

According to the complaint, SK Panna Mamun, son of the late Ashkar Ali of Mallikpur, has long kept ducks, chickens and pigeons on his farm. On Saturday afternoon, after his wife let the pigeons out of the farm, they went to the neighbouring land of Abdul Aziz. After feeding there, around 250 pigeons died one after another towards evening.

Mamun alleges that Abdul Aziz, with ill intent, had sown gamma grass seed for cattle fodder mixed with poison on the land next to his farm. He told no one he had mixed poison with the seed and did not put up a red warning flag in the field, so neither Mamun nor anyone else realised the seed was poisoned.

He said his pigeons died from eating the poisoned seed, causing him a loss of at least Tk 2 lakh, and he lodged the complaint on Sunday seeking redress.

The accused, Abdul Aziz, said it was true that damage had been done but that the number of pigeons would be fewer than 250. He said he had been willing to settle the matter with local notables, but Mamun went to the police.

Chatmohar police station officer-in-charge (OC) Anwar Hossain said they had received the complaint and were looking into it, and further legal action was being taken.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.