Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray asked a Yuva Sena office-bearer to apologise for the manner in which three dogs were handled during a protest against the civic authorities’ alleged inaction on stray dog bites, saying such conduct does not align with the party line.
In a post on X, Thackeray said he came across a video of the protest by a Yuva Sena office-bearer from Ahilyanagar, who protested against more than 470 dog-bite incidents in the city over the past five months and the alleged inaction of civic authorities.
“While one may question the inaction of the civic authorities to curb the dog bites and to shift the dogs to proper shelters with proper care, the protest should NOT have had the dogs being handled in such a manner,” Thackeray said. “I have been equally disturbed by the video and have issued a stern warning to the office bearer, along with asking him to apologise and to not conduct the protests in such a manner. This does not go with the Party line at all.”
{{/usCountry}}“While one may question the inaction of the civic authorities to curb the dog bites and to shift the dogs to proper shelters with proper care, the protest should NOT have had the dogs being handled in such a manner,” Thackeray said. “I have been equally disturbed by the video and have issued a stern warning to the office bearer, along with asking him to apologise and to not conduct the protests in such a manner. This does not go with the Party line at all.”
{{/usCountry}}Also Read | Protesters place puppies on official's table to highlight stray dog menace
Thackeray added that the office-bearer had apologised and expressed regret and promised that such an act would not be repeated.
Uddhav Sena workers' unusual protest
The remarks came after five Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders in Niphad taluka, around 50 km from Nashik city, staged an unusual protest against the local civic body’s alleged failure to tackle the stray dog problem by releasing three puppies on the chief officer’s table on Wednesday.
Niphad Nagar Panchayat chief officer Dhiraj Bhamare said the leaders entered his office carrying sacks and released the puppies on his table.
“I was working when suddenly these five leaders entered my room with sacks. As I told them to sit down, one of the leaders, Deepak Randhave, opened the sacks and released the puppies on my table. I was taken aback,” he said.
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Bhamare said he later learned that the leaders had asked the puppies’ owner to lend them the animals for some time. “The owner was unaware of the leaders’ intention,” he said.
He added that he subsequently lodged a police complaint against all five leaders for allegedly obstructing him in the discharge of his official duties and under provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
Protest against stray dog menace
Randhave, whose wife is a local councillor, said the protest was aimed at drawing the civic body’s attention to the stray dog problem in Niphad.
“We are also animal lovers. But we were forced to undertake this bizarre protest to draw the attention of civic officials to the issue. We have been requesting the chief officer for the last six months to act on the problem. There have been incidents of dog bites in the taluka, so we decided to undertake this unique protest to draw the officer’s attention,” Randhave said.
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The Niphad Nagar Panchayat issued advertisements twice this year seeking a veterinary doctor to carry out a sterilisation programme for stray dogs in the area. Officials said, however, that they had received no response so far.