Sinhalese settlers who have been encroaching upon land used by Tamil farmers to graze their cattle in Mayilathamadu, have reportedly fed a cow owned by a Tamil armer an explosive, ripping its jaw into shreds.
The Tamil farmer, whose cow was attacked, alleged that the Sinhalese settlers planted an explosive in some food, and fed it to the cow. A gruesome video that has been circulating on social media shows the severity of the injury.
*Content warning* - Disturbing scenes of animal cruelty
“Everyone, look at this,” says the farmer in the video. “Look at what these people have done to this innocent animal.”
“They have been doing awful things like this in Mayilathamadu,” the farmer continued. “They've fed explosives. They've electrocuted the animals. They've fired shots at the animals.”
Since September 15, livestock farmers in Mayilathamadu, Batticaloa, have been staging protests demonstrating against the Sri Lankan government’s seizure of land that they have traditionally used for cattle grazing. Many Sinhalese farmers have been settled in the land seized by the Mahaweli Authority.
Approximately 900 Tamil farming families rely on the 8,242 hectares of land to graze their cattle.
Read more on Tamil Guardian's coverage of the ongoing protests here:
Frontline Defenders condemns 'persecution and reprisals' of Tamil protestors in Batticaloa
Sri Lankan police crack down on Tamil farmers protesting against land grabs in Batticaloa
