(1) Every village chaukidar or daffardar or President appointed or elected under the village Chaukidar Act, 1870 (Ben. Act VI of 1870) or the Bihar and Orissa Village Administration Act, 1922 (B. & O. Act III of 1922), every village police-man appointed under Chota Nagpur Rural Police Act, 1914 (B. & O. Act I of 1914), every mukhia elected under the Bihar Panchayat Raj Act, 1947 (Bihar Act VII of 1948) and every veterinary practitioner attending any animal in the course of his veterinary practice or otherwise, who has reason to believe that such animal is infective, shall forthwith report, and every owner or person incharge or having control of an animal or any other person who has reason to believe that an animal is infective may report, the fact to the officer-in-charge of the nearest police station or the prescribed authority.
(2) On receiving a report under sub-section (1), the officer-in-charge of the police-station or the prescribed authority, as the case may be, shall, without delay, communicate such report to the nearest Veterinary Officer and forward a copy of the report to the District Officer-in-charge of the Veterinary Department. On receipt of the report the Veterinary Officer shall proceed to the place where the animal is for the time being kept and examine the animal and inquire into the circumstances of the case.
(3) Whenever a Veterinary Officer has reason to believe that the animal within his jurisdiction is infective, he shall proceed as soon as possible to the (Act 59 of 1982) place where the animal is and examine it and inquire into the circumstances of case, notwithstanding that no report under sub-section
(2) in respect of such animal has been received by him.
(4) If after the examination and inquiry referred to in sub-section (2) or sub-section (3), the Veterinary Officer is of the opinion that the animal is infective, he shall report the matter in the prescribed manner to the District Officer incharge of the Veterinary Department for such action as the latter may consider necessary and shall also take such further action including medical treatment of the animal concerned under the provisions of this Chapter as may be necessary or expedient and, at the same time, shall send a copy of such report to the Sub-divisional Magistrate.