Kerala politicos kill stray dogs, parade with their carcasses

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two days after union minister Maneka Gandhi took up the issue of stray dogs with state DGP Loknath Behra in Kozhikode, angry workers of Youth Front (Mani) killed 10 dogs and took out a rally in Kottayam on Monday, parading their carcasses.

The death of a woman who was admitted to a hospital after she suffered serious dog bites last week was rock bottom for these activists. Two months ago, strays had killed an aged woman and devoured a portion of her body on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram.

After beating the dogs to death, they tied the carcasses on a pole and took out a rally in the town. They shouted slogans against Maneka Gandhi and the state government for overlooking the plight of people on the street.

“We can’t be mute spectators. Those who are speaking for strays are agents of the powerful vaccine lobby ,” said Youth Front state president Saji Manjakadambil. Police have registered a case.

In 2016 till August, 51,000 dog bites and four deaths were reported from the state.