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A major controversy has erupted in Telangana’s Kamareddy and Hanamkonda districts after around 500 stray dogs were allegedly culled using lethal injections over the past week.
According to a report by news agency , some elected representatives — including sarpanches — allegedly carried out the killings to “fulfil promises made to locals” during the recent gram panchayat elections to tackle the stray dog menace.
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Police said a case has been registered against six people, including five sarpanches, in Kamareddy district in connection with the incident.
Earlier, nine persons, including two women sarpanches and their husbands, were booked in Hanamkonda district for allegedly killing around 300 stray dogs in Shayampet and Arepally villages in a similar manner.“ Ahead of the gram panchayat elections held in December last year, some candidates promised villagers they would tackle the stray dog and monkey menace. They are now allegedly ‘fulfilling’ those promises by killing stray dogs,” news agency quoted sources as saying.
Police said the carcasses were buried on the outskirts of villages. Veterinary teams later exhumed the bodies and conducted post-mortem examinations. Viscera samples have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to ascertain the exact cause of death and the type of substance used, a senior police official said.
Notices have been issued to the accused, police added. Animal welfare activist Adulapuram Goutham, in a complaint lodged at Machareddy police station on Monday, said he received information that nearly 200 stray dogs were killed over the past two to three days in five villages of Palwancha mandal in Kamareddy district.
He alleged the killings were carried out at the behest of the sarpanches of the five villages, who reportedly hired a person to administer lethal injections. Goutham said he visited Bhavanipet village, where he found dog carcasses dumped, and later learnt that similar acts of cruelty had taken place in Palwancha, Faridpet, Wadi and Bandaramesh warapally villages.
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Based on the complaint, police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act against six persons, including five sarpanches, a Kamareddy police official said.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would consider directing states to pay “heavy compensation” for dog-bite incidents and hold dog feeders accountable, expressing concern over the lack of implementation of norms related to stray animals over the past five years.(With agency inputs)
