In Telangana, village panchayats have begun fulfilling their election promises. Hundreds of stray dogs are being killed. The number of stray dogs killed has now exceeded 900. While it’s true that India has a serious problem with stray dogs, is it right to kill these voiceless creatures with such cruelty?
According to a Times of India report, police have registered a case against nine people, including sarpanches (village heads), for allegedly killing nearly 300 stray dogs by administering lethal injections. The incident came to light when police and veterinary doctors visited the villages to conduct post-mortems on the buried carcasses.
According to an ANI report, in a disturbing case of alleged animal cruelty, approximately 100 stray dogs were reportedly killed earlier this week in Thummapally village of Nagarkurnool district in Telangana.
Police stop a truck transporting 226 dogs destined for ‘human consumption’ pic.twitter.com/cPBpzt2w2W
— Crime Net (@TRIGGERHAPPYV1) April 13, 2024
This mass killing has sparked widespread outrage among residents and animal rights activists, following which Mudavath Preeti, a cruelty prevention assistant with the Stray Animal Foundation of India, filed a formal complaint at the Charapaka police station, ANI reported.
The incident allegedly occurred in the village under the jurisdiction of the sarpanch. According to the FIR, police received a complaint on January 27 from Mudavath Preeti, a resident of Nagarkurnool.
In her petition, the complainant stated that as a cruelty prevention assistant, she received information that approximately 100 stray dogs had been killed with poisonous injections over the past 10 days, ANI reported.
The sarpanch and the panchayat secretary of Thimmapally village allegedly carried out these acts.
Further investigation revealed that Gram Panchayat (GP) worker Ravi allegedly disposed of the carcasses. In a separate conversation between Adukapuram Gautam and Gopi (the hired individual), Gopi stated that the dogs had been poisoned over the past 10 days, ANI reported.
Furthermore, the sarpanch (village head) revealed that the carcasses were disposed of approximately 2 km away from the village. Based on these findings, the petitioner has requested that immediate legal action be taken against the accused individuals in accordance with the law.
Animal rights activist Gautam condemned the incident and demanded strict action against those involved, also calling for stricter enforcement of animal protection laws to prevent such cruelty in the future.
(With inputs from ANI)