A buffalo dedicated to a temple has become the centre of a dispute between two villages of Davanagere district in Karnataka, which eventually escalated to the police station. The police are now conducting a DNA test to confirm ownership of the buffalo.
The fight is between Kunibelakere and Kulagatte villages, which are 40km apart. The buffalo is currently under police custody at a Shivamogga goshala.
As per reports, a buffalo was dedicated to Kunibelakere's village deity, Kariyamma Devi, around eight years ago. However, a week ago, this buffalo was spotted in the neighbouring Belakere village. At the same time, another buffalo from Kulagatte village of Honnali taluk went missing. The villagers of Kulagatte allegedly brought a vehicle and took the buffalo to their village, claiming it as their own. Upon discovering this, the villagers of Kunibelakere asserted that the buffalo belonged to their village. This led to a heated argument between the two villages, which eventually reached to the police station.
There was also a dispute over the buffalo’s age, with the villagers of Kunibelakere claiming it was eight years old, while the villagers of Kulagatte insisted it was only three. An examination by veterinarians suggested the animal was over six years old, supporting Kunibelakere's claim. However, Kulagatte villagers contested this.
Kunibelakere residents then filed a theft case against seven persons from Kulagatte and sought a DNA test, citing the presence of the buffalo's offspring in their village as evidence.
Additional SP Vijaykumar Santosh confirmed that DNA samples had been collected, and the matter would be resolved upon receiving the test results.