Three people were booked on Tuesday in Rangareddy district for allegedly killing 100 stray dogs through poison, police said on Wednesday, days after similar reports of the killing of over 500 dogs across three districts.
According to Yacharam sub-inspector of police U Madhu, a complaint was registered by Mudavath Preethi, animal cruelty prevention assistant from Nagarkurnool district working for Stray Animal Foundation of India, stating that the mass killing of stray dogs took place on January 19 and the carcasses were buried outside the village.
“We have booked a case under Sections 325 read with 3(5) of Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita (dealing with killing and poisoning of animals by multiple persons) and Sec 11(1)(a)(i) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, against the village sarpanch, ward member and village secretary,” Yacharam police inspector A Nandeshwar Reddy said.
Preethi said the police on Wednesday identified the place where the mass burial of killed stray dogs was done and sent the bodies to local veterinary hospital for post-mortem examination.
In a related incident that took place on January 19, another animal rights activist Adulapuram Goutham complained to the Kazipet police in Hanamkonda district stating that chief warden of National Institute of Technology, Warangal Abdul Azim, along with the dog-catching team of the institute, took away several dogs using brute force.
{{/usCountry}}In a related incident that took place on January 19, another animal rights activist Adulapuram Goutham complained to the Kazipet police in Hanamkonda district stating that chief warden of National Institute of Technology, Warangal Abdul Azim, along with the dog-catching team of the institute, took away several dogs using brute force.
{{/usCountry}}Goutham alleged that they had treated dogs in inhumane manner using metal wires, dragged them forcefully and kept them starved in their vehicle in order to release them in new locations.
“After timely intervention by a few animal welfare activists the illegal relocation activity was stopped and released in the same NIT Campus,” Kazipet sub-inspector of police V Lavan Kumar said.
It may be mentioned that in the last three weeks, the Telangana police registered three separate cases against 16 individuals, including several village sarpanches, in three districts – Kamareddy, Warangal and Jagitial districts, for allegedly indulging in mass killing of over 500 stray dogs by administering them poisonous injections.
According to Preethi, the killing of stray dogs has been happening in a systematic manner in several villages across Telangana. “Only a few incidents have come to light in the last few weeks and we are making inquiries about similar incidents in other parts of the state,” she said.
She said the killings have been happening soon after the completion of gram panchayat elections. “Apparently, the newly-elected sarpanches, who have promised to the people to get rid of the stray dog menace during their election campaign, have begun the killings soon after getting elected,” she said.
Preethi alleged that these sarpanches are misinterpreting the latest Supreme Court judgement on stray dog menace. “The apex court never asked the authorities to kill stray dogs. It only ordered shifting of stray dogs from public institutions like schools and hospitals to animal shelters,” she said.
Humane World for Animals, India, representative Sherya Paropakari said it was unfortunate that such en masse killing of stray dogs was being carried out, despite the Supreme Court’s clear directions. “It is sad that despite the filing of the FIRs against the accused, they were not arrested as they are bailable offences,” she said.