Twenty cows died and 28 fell sick at a shelter here, triggering protests by various Hindu bodies who alleged that their feed was poisoned and called for a bandh on Monday.

Officials, however, said no malafide motive is suspected behind the incident. An FIR has been registered in the matter and it is being investigated from all angles, a police officer said on Monday.

Phagwara Superintendent of Police Rupinder Kaur Bhatti said 20 cows died and 28 fell sick at Shri Krishan Gaushala, Mehligate here on Sunday night.

A board of veterinarians at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) is conducting post-mortem of the carcasses. The exact cause of death will be known once the post-mortem report comes, Bhatti said.

"We have not found any malafide motive behind the incident but we are investigating the matter from all angles," she said.

"CCTV footage from the gaushala is being scanned to find out if there was any mischief behind the incident," she added.

The sick cows are being treated by a team of veterinarians.

On a complaint by cow shelter manager Satnam Singh, a case has been registered in the matter under sections 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class) and 325 (punishment for committing mischief by killing, poisoning, or rendering useless any animal) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, police said.

On a call by various Hindu bodies, a bandh was observed in Phagwara to protest the incident.

The Hindu bodies alleged the cows' feed was poisoned and demanded the arrest of those behind the incident.

A large number of activists from Hindu bodies took out a protest march in various markets.

Former Union ministers and BJP leaders Som Parkash and Vijay Sampla, AAP MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal, and some other leaders visited the cow shelter.

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