Telangana Police have initiated legal action against 15 individuals for their alleged role in the mass killing of straydogs. The crackdown in Hanamkonda and Kamareddy districts is reportedly one of the largest crackdowns on animal cruelty in the state’s history.
At least 500 dogs were poisoned to death in the first two weeks of the new year, according to NDTV.
The suspects reportedly orchestrated a coordinated culling operation to fulfill a controversial local election promise of a “dog-free village”, it said.
The controversial promise was made for the recent Gram Panchayat elections to woo villagers frustrated by a spike in stray dog attacks.
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Gram Panchayat secretaries reportedly facilitated the logistics and hired professional dog catchers for the mass culling. Three private contractors were reportedly hired to carry out the killings via lethal injections and poisoned bait, NDTV reported.
Dogs were injected with a lethal substance
Several unverfied videos circulating on social media show a lethal substance being injected into the dogs, killing them instantly.
At least 50 dogs were reportedly killed in Dharmapuri municipality in the Jagtiyal district two weeks ago, according to the NDTV report.
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Meanwhile, 110 dog carcasses have been dug out in Hanmakonda, NDTV reported quoting a senior police official in Shayampeta.
Post-mortem has been conducted on some of the carcasses to determine the exact cause of their death.
15 Suspects Being Probed
The police investigation has pinpointed 15 key figures – including seven recently-elected sarpanches in Shayampet, Arepally, and Palwancha area – as the ones who authorised the culls.
The accused have been booked under Section 325 (killing or poisoning of animals) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
While some junior staff have been detained for questioning, seven sarpanches have been served notices by the police.
The Court’s Stern View
The culling incident comes amid hearing on the stray dogs case in the Supreme Court.
On Tuesday, the top court took a stern view of the “institutional failure” regarding the stray dog menace, warning civic authorities of “heavy compensation” for dog-bite injuries and deaths. The court, however, reiterated that killing is an illegal and unacceptable “solution.” |
