He had ambled up to her on a bright July morning when a group attacked him ferociously with sticks. Within moments, he lay bloodied and dead on the ground.

Not a case of honour killing or love jihad but an instance of similar medieval emotions taking over while dealing with a meek and docile barn animal.

A male goat was beaten to death in Kaimur district of Bihar on Thursday allegedly by the owners of a female goat it had approached on Thursday morning. The owner of the deceased goat, identified as Ramu, has lodged an FIR against the owners of the nanny at Mohania police station.

Radha Devi, Ramu’s owner, told The Telegraph: “The goats were together when my neighbour Sipu Ram (the owner of the nanny) saw them. My buck used to go near his nanny sometimes. Enraged, Sipu thrashed Ramu with a stick. His father Saryu Ram, wife and another person joined him. They hit my goat so badly that it died on the spot.”

“I kept screaming and asking them to stop, but my appeals fell on deaf ears. I raised Ramu with much pain and was hoping to earn a good amount by selling it on Id,” she added.

Bucks are sold for sacrifice on Id at amounts ranging between Rs 10,000 and Rs 1 lakh in Bihar.

Sipu and his family, who could have assaulted the male goat as they did not want the female to get pregnant, could not be contacted.

Radha’s ordeal did not end with the cruelty on the billy. When she approached police, her complaint was not allegedly accepted immediately.

She kept crying and requesting the police to register an FIR. The personnel finally relented.

“We have registered an FIR in connection with the killing of a male goat. The complainant has named four persons. We have sent the carcass for a post-mortem, but the report is yet to come,” Mohania station house officer R.K. Yadav told this newspaper.

Yadav refused to divulge under what sections the FIR had been registered. He said action would be taken on the basis of the post-mortem report.

Asked if this could be in any way dubbed an instance of honour killing, which is prevalent in rural areas of Bihar, Yadav said: “We have registered an FIR on the charges of killing the animal — plain and simple. An investigation is on and more things will come to light.”

Veterinary doctor Ravi Shankar, who conducted the post-mortem, told reporters that preliminary evidence suggested that the goat died of injuries.

“The goat had suffered injuries and died. We have conducted the post-mortem. Let us see what additional findings emerge,” Ravi said.