Youths give their all to save cow from raging Vrushabhavathi river

Manuraj Urs attends to the rescued cow near Jnanabharathi. (R) The spot where the calf fell into the Vrushabhavathi. DH PHOTOS/S K DINESH

In a heartwarming, yet heartbreaking tale, four young men risked their lives trying to save a cow and its calf in West Bengaluru on Wednesday. After a frantic two-hour effort, they could save only the cow.

Manuraj Urs, Asif, Manju S and Aatif, all from ITI Layout near Nayandahalli, decided to help after seeing the cow and the calf fall into the dirty Vrushabhavathi river around 8.30 am.

“The calf was the first to fall. The cow then got into the stream while trying to save the calf,” said Urs. “But the flow of water was so strong that the cow couldn’t stand properly and kept drifting.”

The youths took the plunge, literally.

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Two of them got into the stream to save the animals. The other two stood on the banks of the stream holding a rope for their friends who had gotten down.

“The drain is nearly 8-9 feet deep and the current was strong. By the time we could save the cow, the calf got washed away. We just couldn’t trace it,” Urs said.

The youths floated along for two hours and were able to touch proper ground only near the Jnanabharathi railway station when they could safely drag the cow out, said Asif.

The calf was said to be 25 days old while the cow is aged about eight years. The cow reportedly suffered injuries to legs and the stomach as it struggled to come out of the water, local residents said.

Just when ordinary people showed extraordinary courage, government authorities failed to do what was expected of them. Despite frantic phone calls, no BBMP or rescue worker came to the spot, witnesses told DH.

The same morning, a motorcycle fell into the stream as there was no barricade on the road, witnesses said.

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