3 booked for fire cracker treatment in Kharghar housing society that killed a stray dog

Vartak Nagar police arrest four persons for attempting to murder their friend with chopper over petty issue, seriously injuring him

Kharghar police have booked three people from a housing society for mischief that killed a street dog. While one is an office bearer of the society, the other two are security supervisors.

A stray dog was killed after an office bearer and 2 security guards of housing society in Kharghar burst crackers to chase it and other dogs out. (For representational purposes only) (HT PHOTO)

According to the case registered by Kulbhushan Singh, a resident of Hyde Park Society in Kharghar, the office bearer and the security guards had started bursting loud crackers from August 16 to August 20 for shooing away six dogs that had been in the society for more than five years.

“These dogs were taken care of by the residents. We have been feeding them. During rains, more dogs came in,” Singh said.

The accused announced about the ‘fire cracker treatment’ in the WhatsApp group of the society and started bursting the crackers while the security guards were asked to run behind the dogs with a stick. During the course of this action, one of the dogs panicked and bit another dog, injuring it and causing severe infection.

Singh added, “The injured dog was shifted to a hospital by a NGO and given treatment. Slowly, I started seeing the number of dogs reducing. While the ones that existed were either injured or had burns. In the first week of September, I found the body of a much-loved dog that lived in the society near the footpath outside the society’s main gate.”

Along with ALFA Foundation, Singh started their rounds to the police station for a case that was finally registered on Monday. “The case has been registered after we verified the videos shown to us. There is no arrest made yet,” senior police inspector Sandeepan Shinde from Kharghar police station said.

“There were many complaints from residents about dogs chasing them and even biting them. Panvel Corporation denied giving any alternate shelter. With the growing pressure of complaints, for the well-being of the society residents, some action was important. The crackers were burst only for a day. I have all the proof of the various complaints,” said Mangesh Ranawade, office bearer of the society against whom the case was registered.