India clips ‘spy’ pigeon’s wings over fears it will fly back to Pakistan

Only thing we know for sure is that it was a female pigeon and not a male one as assumed earlier, says Bamial police

Indian police have clipped the wings of a “Pakistani pigeon” they claim to have arrested from Bamial village in Punjab province nearly two weeks ago over suspicion of ‘spying’.

“The wings of the pigeon have been clipped to ensure the suspected spy does not fly back to Pakistan,” The Telegraph India quoted a senior Indian Punjab police official as saying. “We have sent a preliminary report to the Union home ministry, including an X-ray report of the bird which did not reveal anything suspicious,” the official added.

The pigeon, which was initially detained by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) personnel at Simbal post in Pathankot’s Bamial sector, had an Urdu message addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Modi, do not consider us the same people as we were during 1971. Now each and every child is ready to fight against India,” read the message.

Pathankot(Punjab): A pigeon with a threat letter written in Urdu found at Simbal post by BSF,the pigeon ws later handed over to local police pic.twitter.com/jyi6a7E6iq

— ANI (@ANI) October 2, 2016

The pigeon's wings were clipped last week with the help of a veterinary worker, according to a police inspector at Bamial police station where the espionage bird has been kept in detention. “We didn’t want to take a chance. We also bought a cage for its stay.”

The pigeon, which was taken to an animal husbandry hospital in Pathankot, has since been put in the cage and is being fed. “We don’t know how long the pigeon will stay in the police station. Residents are flocking to the police station to see the intruder,” the inspector said, adding the police weren’t even sure that the bird had come from across the border.

‘Major breakthrough’

The security officials have so far managed to discover the real gender of the bird which was previously thought to be a male. “The only thing we know for sure is that it was a female pigeon and not a male one as assumed earlier,” said another official.

The bird’s arrest came just two days after an Indian intelligence agency had issued an alert to the Punjab police over a possible backlash from across the border after the Indian military claimed it carried out “surgical strikes” on “militant launch pads” on the Pakistani side of Kashmir. A claim Pakistani denied.

Animal cruelty

Asked if clipping a bird’s wings didn’t amount to cruelty, a police officer said: “It’s not cruelty. Clipped wings grow fast and the pigeon will be able to fly soon. It’s hale and hearty as it is being fed well.”

However, Delhi-based animal rights activist Gauri Maulekhi disagreed. “They should have released the pigeon since they didn't find anything suspicious after getting the X-ray done,” she said. “The mindless act amounts to cruelty to animals. It also shows how stupid as a nation we are becoming.”

This article originally appeared on The Telegraph India.