PATNA, India — Aug. 27, 2026 — Police in India’s eastern state of Bihar have turned to an unusual scientific method to settle a dispute over the ownership of a buffalo, ordering a DNA test of the animal and its alleged calf after two men claimed it belonged to them.

The dispute involves Suraj Yadav, a resident of Siutar village, and Prakash Manjhi, who lives in a neighbouring village. Both men claim ownership of the same buffalo.

The case drew political attention after the two sides refused to accept each other’s claims, prompting Magadh Range Inspector General of Police Vikas Vaibhav to order officials to use scientific evidence to establish ownership.

Missing buffalo sparks dispute

Yadav says his buffalo went missing several days ago. He did not initially file a police complaint and instead searched for the animal himself.

According to Yadav, he later learned that the buffalo was being kept at Manjhi’s home in a nearby village. He went there, untied the animal and brought it back to his house.

Manjhi disputed the claim, saying the buffalo legally belonged to him.

As tensions increased, police brought the buffalo to the local police station and kept it there while investigating the competing ownership claims.

Police initially attempted an unusual solution by releasing the buffalo, apparently allowing it to choose where to go.

According to local accounts, the animal returned to Yadav’s home.

Political pressure enters the case

The dispute subsequently became a local political issue.

Former legislator Ajay Yadav met senior police officials and alleged that Suraj Yadav, whom he described as a poor man, was being treated unfairly and becoming involved in costly legal proceedings.

Meanwhile, Hindustani Awam Morcha national spokesperson Shyam Sundar Sharan met police officials in support of Manjhi and called for an impartial investigation.

Vikas Vaibhav told the BBC that two first information reports had been registered in connection with the dispute — one under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and another concerning the buffalo ownership dispute.

DNA test proposed

With both sides maintaining their claims, police decided to seek scientific evidence.

Officials have asked the two claimants to provide available records concerning the animals, including information about their breed and lineage.

The buffalo’s DNA will be compared with that of a female calf that Yadav says belongs to the missing buffalo.

Police believe the genetic test could establish whether the buffalo is the calf’s biological mother and provide evidence supporting Yadav’s ownership claim.

A senior police official said officers had also been sent to the area to question residents and collect additional evidence.

‘Whoever has the DNA report has the buffalo’

The unusual case quickly attracted attention on social media, where users made jokes about the police investigation.

One social media user suggested Bihar Police could become the first force to establish buffalo ownership through DNA testing.

Another joked that the buffalo probably did not realise it had become a celebrity.

One comment paraphrased the traditional saying “whose stick, his buffalo”, saying the era had now become “whose DNA report, his buffalo.”

Not Bihar Police’s first unusual animal case

Although the buffalo dispute is unusual, police in Bihar have previously dealt with complaints involving animals.

In Purnia, a man once approached police seeking the “arrest” of a bull, alleging that it had chased him, attacked him with its horns and injured him.

Police eventually brought the parties together and resolved the matter through discussions, after which the complaint was withdrawn.

Police in Purnia have also investigated a separate complaint involving the deaths of three goats.

For now, the ownership of the buffalo remains unresolved. Police are expected to rely on the DNA findings, along with other evidence, before deciding which claimant should receive the animal.