Over 100 birds of different species, including pigeons and sparrows, were poisoned to death allegedly by a rice mill owner in Aponpara area of Lalmonirhat town today.

The birds died after eating poison mixed food at the yard of City Rice Mills owned by one Manik Mia in Aponpara area this morning.

Hearing the news, locals informed the matter to the livestock department and police. As a team of the law enforcers went there, the mill owner fled the scene, reports our Lalmonirhat correspondent.

Locals alleged that they saw some dead doves surrounding the paddy chatal (paddy drying yard) on Friday, but they didn’t take the matter seriously. Today, they saw over one hundred dead birds in the yard, they said.

Kahinur Begum,46, residence at Aponpara area, alleged that some of her pigeons were poisoned to death in the yard as its owner Manik Mia sprayed poison on the paddy.

“Like me, some of our neighbours also lost their pigeons,” she added.

Contacted, the mill owner Manik Miah said, he is not aware of such matter.

However, Ashraful Islam, a labourer of the mill, said that they sprayed poison-mixed food taking permission of the owner for saving paddy from birds.