Forget property disputes, Bihar police orders DNA test to settle who owns a buffalo

A buffalo has become the unlikely centre of a police investigation in Bihar’s Gaya district, where two villagers are locked in a dispute over who actually owns the animal. With both men refusing to give up their claim, police have decided to use DNA testing to settle the matter.

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The unusual case has reached senior police officials. Inspector General of Police Vikas Vaibhav has asked Gaya (Rural) SP Divyanjali Jaiswal to conduct a detailed investigation and determine the buffalo’s rightful owner.

DNA test to settle ownership claim

Police plan to compare the buffalo’s DNA with that of its mother. The mother is still alive but is currently being kept at another villager’s house, making a scientific comparison possible.Vaibhav said the test could provide evidence to establish which of the two villagers has a genuine claim over the animal.

For the moment, the buffalo is staying at the house of Suraj Yadav, a resident of Uttar village, who maintains that it belongs to him.

How the dispute started

The controversy began roughly a week ago when Yadav approached Atri police station and reported that his buffalo had been stolen. During their investigation, police traced the animal to the home of Prakash Manjhi in Nauranga village. The buffalo was subsequently handed back to Yadav.

But the matter did not end there. Manjhi went to the police station and claimed that the buffalo was actually his. Police then took the animal from Yadav’s house and kept it at the station for two days while the ownership dispute was being examined.

A photograph showing the buffalo inside the police station later spread widely on social media, turning an otherwise local dispute into an unusual talking point. After another inquiry, police returned the animal to Yadav.

SC/ST Act case adds another twist

The dispute has also taken a legal turn. Manjhi subsequently filed an FIR against Yadav at Atri police station under provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

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Bathani DSP Surendra Kumar said the case followed an argument between the two men over the buffalo, during which Yadav was allegedly accused of making caste-based remarks against Manjhi.

The development prompted former RJD legislator Ajay Yadav to approach IG Vikas Vaibhav on Tuesday. He requested that senior officials look into the circumstances surrounding the dispute and the criminal case.

The former MLA later told reporters that what began as a disagreement over an animal had escalated into a case that could carry serious consequences for the accused.

Bihar police have seen stranger animal complaints

The buffalo case may sound unusual, but Bihar police have previously dealt with complaints involving animals.

In Purnia, a man once approached the police seeking the “arrest” of an ox that he alleged had chased him, attacked him with its horns and knocked him to the ground. The man was reportedly injured badly enough to require hospital treatment. Police eventually called the parties together, after which the complaint was withdrawn following a compromise.

In another Purnia case, police investigated the deaths of three young goats after their mother was allegedly caught and confined inside a room.

In Gaya, however, the latest dispute is taking a more scientific route. If the planned DNA comparison produces a clear match, the test could finally answer a question that arguments, police complaints and even a stint inside a police station have failed to resolve: whose buffalo is it?