Muslim vet shelters pigs, ostracised

Patna: He has been sheltering pigs out of official compulsion. But a Muslim veterinarian in Bihar now finds himself ostracised by friends and family alike as the animal is considered ‘napak’ (impure) in Islam.

So much so that Alam Azad, a senior veterinary officer in Kishanganj district, 300 km from here, now fears that fellow Muslims may not even allow him to go on the Haj pilgrimage to Mecca this year.

"I have been ostracised for giving shelter to pigs," said Azad, who has kept 107 pigs in a bamboo enclosure outside his official residence for over 45 days to produce them in court as "evidence". "I tried to convince them but failed. No one is ready to understand my predicament," he said.

Azad, who is in his 50s, said he was helpless and upset that neither his Muslim friends nor his family was ready to understand his plight.

"How can I free the pigs when they are evidence against arrested smugglers? It is my official duty to look after them," he said.

Azad has been looking after the pigs at his own cost since they were confiscated while being smuggled to Nepal on September 16. He has been spending Rs 500 daily on animal feed and on employees who look after them.

Till date, Azad has spent over Rs 32,000 from his own pocket on the animals. "I have not been paid a single rupee by the district administration," he said.

"I have no option but to keep them in safe custody and produce them in court," said Azad.

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