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Animal activist’s complaint false, says accused; counter complaint filed
According to a complaint filed by Varma, Patel allegedly hit and dragged two stray dogs into a vehicle and dropped these dogs in Bopdev ghat
The secretary of a housing society in Kondhwa who was booked for allegedly subjecting two stray dogs to animal cruelty has submitted a complaint application against the animal activist at Kondhwa police station.
The man has been identified as Habeeb Patel, while the activist has been identified as Nisha Varma (67), a resident of Kondhwa, and a self-proclaimed member of the Animal Welfare Board.
According to Patel the society members had requested the complainant multiple times to not feed the stray dogs in front of the building.
Varma undertakes work of animal birth control (ABC) programme of the Animal Welfare Board.
“I have been feeding the dogs there for a few months and I do not enter the society at all. The land where I was feeding them, does not have a signboard which says’ trespassers not allowed,’ said Varma.
“Once the watchman to change the spot where I fed the dogs as a water tanker use to pass on that route, so I changed the spot,” said Varma.
“Once walker told me to move the feeding spot to a relatively empty spot. He came with three watchmen who were recording me and they started by saying that I spread covid int he area,” said Varma.
She has claimed that the man threatened to jam the wheels of her cars if she feeds the dogs ner the building again.
According to a complaint filed by Varma, Patel allegedly hit and dragged two stray dogs into a vehicle and dropped these dogs in Bopdev ghat.
She has lodged two complaints at Kondhwa police station - one regarding an alleged video shot by Patel while dragging and hitting the dogs and the second of criminal intimidation.
“We have received a complaint of animal cruelty against a person. A case under relevant sections was registered. If the society members have lodged a complaint, I’m not aware of it yet. It must a complaint application and we will get to it,” said senior police inspector Vinayak Gaikwad of Kondhwa police station.
Two complaints were lodged and a complaint application was submitted at Kondhwa police station - two by Sharma and one by Patel.
Sharma alleged that the secretary threatened her and asked her to stop feeding the dogs while Patel alleges that the woman arrives every day without a mask and feeds stray dogs who then trouble people and children in the building.
With the help of Amit Shah of Jeev Seva Foundation, Verma went to the police and narrated the incident. At the same time, Patel has produced a complain application on the letterhead of the society that says that the dogs trouble the children and people of the society.
“This is a false complaint lodged by the woman. This is done just to harass us,” said Patel when asked about the case.
A non-cognizable case of criminal intimidation was lodged against Patel and a cognizable case under Sections 428, 429 of Indian Penal Code along with Section 11(1)(j) of Animal Cruelty Prevention Act, 1960 was registered against him at Kondhwa police station.
