Tinnu Anand's message threatening to harm stray dogs draws flak, actor defends himself: I'm 80 years old…'

Actor Tinnu Anand has come forward to defend himself after receiving massive backlash for his message where he threatened to harm stray dogs in Mumbai.

Actor-director Tinnu Anand is embroiled in controversy after a message he sent threatening to harm stray dogs in his residential society in Mumbai was shared online, sparking widespread outrage. In the message, he threatened to hit stray dogs with a 'hockey stick'. A police complaint has been filed against him.

Tinnu's message sparked widespread outrage among animal rights activists, locals, and social media users, who heavily criticised his tone.

Tinnu Anand's stray dog remark draws flak

In the WhatsApp message, which has now surfaced on social media and is catching everyone’s attention, he allegedly threatened to attack stray dogs near his residence with a hockey stick. He went on to warn animal lovers to take the dogs home or deal with the consequences.

Tinnu's message sparked widespread outrage among animal rights activists, locals, and social media users, who heavily criticised his tone. Aanchal Chaddha, a resident of the same society, took action by filing a complaint at the Versova Police Station, prompting the police to intervene in the matter.

The message read, “Have come back after a horrifying shoot to be greeted by terrifying dogs barking and not knowing who to bite next… Challenge taken. Have a hockey stick to face them… am warning all dog lovers hereon… take them home OR then face my wrath… my society is given advance notice”.

Screenshot of the image which has surfaced on social media,

The message triggered massive backlash from social media users. Actor Shweta Gulati also commented on the post, writing, "Had such massive respect for this man, which is lost today. What a fool. Let’s pray he gets beaten soon”. Karishma Tanna shared, “To all those animal haters n supporting this veteran actor. It’s heartbreaking and shameful to see people supporting violence against innocent dogs — and even worse, threatening to harm them. This isn’t just inhuman, it’s a complete failure of empathy. Animals can’t speak, but we can — and we must. If you find joy in hurting or hating those who only know love and loyalty, it says more about your darkness than theirs”.

According to The Free Press Journal, Mumbai Police officer and senior animal rights activist Sudhir Kudalkar said that the police have asked the actor to issue an apology letter.

Tinnu issues clarification

The Dabangg actor reacted to the hate coming his way while talking to The Free Press Journal. He said, “This is absolutely what I meant because my daughter has broken her wrist and she's been treated since the last one month and it cost me ₹90,000 for her being operated twice now. Her pet dog was attacked by 3 stray dogs in our society and in trying to save her dog she fell and broke her wrist. I want to talk to these dog lovers. If they doubt these dogs so much they feed them, they look after them, then why not put a leash on them? Ask the convenience store near the society- his delivery man has been attacked twice and now they have stopped delivering because they don’t want to be attacked by the dogs".

Tinnu added, “I'm 80 years old and if any dog attacks me, I have every right to defend myself. That is what I meant. That is what these people should have understood anyway. Everyone's got diuretic fingers, you know, moving towards the mobiles, typing away messages, which is fine with me because I'm ignoring it completely because I know what I have written. This is not the first case where dogs have attacked. There's so many cases when these incidents have happened. It's not to attack dogs, it's just to defend myself and I have every right to”.