A total of 45 cows have died in a cattle shelter in the last three days, at Devipur in Tripura’s Sepahijala district, about 30km from here.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, cattle shelter in-charge Joshine Antony said Dhyan Foundation, a Delhi-based NGO, had on May 14 set up a temporary shelter for cows which had been seized by the BSF while being smuggled to Bangladesh.

“Altogether 159 cows have died in the cattle shelter since its opening. The NGO set up the shelter following an agreement with the state government,” Antony said.

“The 45 cows died of hyperthermia as they had been kept in the open and got drenched in heavy rain in the last six days. Veterinary doctors from state government visited the shelter and collected samples but we have not received any report yet,” she said.

“The cows were shifted here after the BSF seized them three months ago. The number of cattle deaths were increasing in the border outposts and they were unable to manage,” she said.

“We have not received any help from the state government. It was their duty to take care of the seized cows,” she said, adding that all the expenditure was borne by the foundation itself including payments to the 34 labourers and two para-veterinary staff working in the shelter. She said the state government only provided the four acres of land for setting up the shelter.

At present 700 cattle are lodged in the shelter, the in-charge said.

“Earlier, the seized cows used to be auctioned off to the locals. Since that was stopped they are unhappy with us,” Antony said. She alleged that villagers threatened to close down the shelter.

Director of state animal resources development department Dilip Kr Chakma said, “I have learned that some of the cattle died in the shelter because of lack of food.”

Chakma said he had earlier instructed the NGO to provide a full quota of feed to the cows.