Moo-ving Mishap: Cow walks into Bandipora Hospital, vlogger gets the blame

Bandipora, Oct 18: In a bizarre turn of events, Bandipora District Hospital in north Kashmir found itself at the centre of social media ridicule on Saturday after a cow casually walked into its emergency section — exposing glaring lapses in security and hygiene.

The incident occurred around 1:30 pm when the animal strayed through the hospital’s emergency entrance, leaving staff, patients, and attendants stunned. A short video of the cow inside the facility went viral soon after, drawing widespread criticism and mockery online.

Netizens slammed the hospital administration for “turning into a slaughterhouse rather than a healthcare centre,” and accused authorities of negligence. “If animals can stroll through an emergency ward, what kind of patient safety can we expect?” wrote one user, echoing public outrage.

However, instead of acknowledging the lapse, the hospital administration turned its ire on the vlogger who filmed the video, filing a police complaint against him.

Medical Superintendent of District Hospital Bandipora, Dr Mukhtar Ahmad, confirmed the incident and said stray cattle had “often wandered near the hospital premises” despite repeated appeals to their owners.

He said the cow entered during a brief gap when security personnel were attending to an emergency elsewhere. “The guards had moved to the ward for some urgent work, and within five minutes, the cow entered the hospital,” he said.

Dr Mukhtar claimed the youth who filmed the incident treated it as “amusement” instead of helping. “Rather than acting responsibly, the individual made fun of the situation and recorded the video for entertainment. He is a known mischief-maker who often creates disturbances,” he alleged.

The hospital has since issued warnings to security staff and directed them to tighten access control. “We’ve asked our security team to remain extra vigilant to ensure no such incidents happen again,” Dr Mukhtar added.

The administration also said it had complained to the police against the vlogger, though law enforcement officials have not confirmed whether an FIR has been registered.

Meanwhile, the hospital has banned photo and video recording inside its premises, particularly in patient wards, citing it as a breach of privacy and protocol.

The incident has once again drawn attention to the state of infrastructure and supervision in district hospitals, where frequent complaints of mismanagement continue to raise public concern.