Buffalo does panchayat's work, finds its owner in UP village; Here is how it happened

In a surprising twist, police in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, devised an unconventional method to settle a dispute over a missing buffalo.

When efforts by the panchayat to resolve the matter failed, law enforcement officers decided to let the buffalo itself determine its rightful owner. They left the animal unattended on a road, and after a period of time, the buffalo autonomously walked back to its owner's home. This decisive action effectively resolved the ownership issue, putting an end to the dispute.

What happened?
The case involves Nandlal Saroj, a resident of Rai Askaranpur village under Maheshganj police station of the district. His buffalo went missing some days back and strayed to Purey Harikesh village where one Hanuman Saroj allegedly caught hold of it.

Nandlal finally traced the animal after a frantic search for three days but Hanuman refused to return the buffalo. Nandlal then approached the Maheshganj police station and lodged a complaint against Hanuman Saroj.

Cops called both the claimants to the police station on Thursday. However, despite a panchayat over the issue held for several hours, both of them kept claiming the buffalo to be theirs.

SHO of Maheshganj police station Shravan Kumar Singh then devised a way out to resolve the dispute.

What did the police do?
After deliberations, Singh announced before the panchayat that the decision should be left to the buffalo itself. The buffalo will be left on the road alone, and the person whom it will follow will be declared its owner.

The villagers also agreed to the decision and both Nandlal and Hanuman were asked to stand in opposite directions on the route to their villages.

Cops then released the buffalo from the police station, and it took the route straightaway to Rai Askaranpur village following Nandlal. As per its decision, the buffalo was handed over to Nandlal.

The other claimant was reprimanded by both, police and villagers.