Cattle menace at IIT Bombay: Cow pays visit to hostel room yet again

A screen grab of the video that went viral soon after

Mid-Term examinations are not the only thing keeping IIT-B students awake these days. It's the cows, too. While students at the premier technology institute are busy preparing for their mid-semester examinations, a cow entered one of the hostel rooms yet again on Monday. A video of the cow entering the room early morning has surfaced on the internet with confused students standing up on tables or running towards the toilets.

Institute authorities have said that a committee has been formed to resolve the human-animal conflict on campus but students have been questioning the time the committee will take to take significant steps. Episodes of cows/bulls entering classrooms and hostels of IIT Bombay have become a regular phenomenon inside the Powai campus. A couple of cows had entered a classroom not very long ago. mid-day had also reported last week about bull entering a hostel room and eating books.

The bull chewed on the notes students had prepared for their exams

"This was during the wee hours of Saturday when students in hostel no 6 were preparing for their examination around 4 am. A bull entered one of the hostel rooms and understandably, scared the students in that room. There are already under immense stress over the upcoming examinations and saw the bull chewing on their notes," a student shared, adding that such incidents had become so common that many students have simply begun making fun of it. The latest video too went viral among the students soon after the incident.

"Animals entering prohibited places inside this campus has become a very regular picture at IIT Bombay. The committee of experts too has not taken any significant step in this regard," said another student.

Committee's delay

The committee was formed in the last week of July after a few instances of human-animal conflict had surfaced, especially the one where a student was injured in an accident involving bulls. It has onboard experts from NGOs working in the field of animal welfare. The plan is to construct a shelter for cattle near the lake where there are large patches of green grass.

"It is very disturbing that an institute of such great repute is in such a condition. Dog menace inside the campus is equally rampant. You can see dogs sleeping on beds meant for students and crowding corridors. If you are not afraid of dogs, it is still fine to deal with the situation, but those who are scared of dogs really have a tough time," said a student, adding that the bull chewing on students' notes was "surely worrisome." The IIT Bombay spokesperson said that the committee hadn't met for some time. "Once it does, further decisions will be taken," she said.

Sep 14
The day the last episode of a cow inside the hostel came to light

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