Telangana: 500 dogs killed in week to fulfill 'poll promise'
What's the story
In a shocking incident, around 500 stray dogs have been killed in Telangana's Kamareddy and Hanamkonda districts. The mass killing is allegedly an attempt to fulfill promises made during the recent gram panchayat elections to tackle the stray dog menace. Animal welfare activist Adulapuram Goutham filed a complaint on January 12 alleging systematic killings of street dogs in several villages.
Legal proceedings
Activist's complaint leads to police investigation
Goutham's complaint accused village sarpanches of orchestrating the killings. He claimed around 200 dogs were killed in just a few days. The complainant alleged that poisonous injections were used to kill the dogs and he found carcasses dumped near a temple in Bhavanipet village. Following his complaint, police have registered a case against six people, including five village sarpanches and Kishore Pandhey, who was allegedly hired for the killings.
Investigation progress
Veterinary teams conduct post-mortem examinations
Police officials said the carcasses were buried on the outskirts of villages and later exhumed by veterinary teams for post-mortem examinations. "Viscera samples have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory to determine the exact cause of death and the type of poison used," a senior police official told PTI. Notices have also been issued to those accused in these killings.
Election aftermath
Dogs killed to fulfill election promises
Sources from the villages told PTI that some elected representatives carried out these killings to "fulfill promises made to villagers" during the recent panchayat polls. "Ahead of the 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," they said.
Legal perspective
Supreme Court's stance on stray dog management
The incident comes as the Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed concern over the poor implementation of norms related to stray animal management. The court suggested states should pay "heavy compensation" in every dog-bite cases and hold dog feeders accountable for attacks. It slammed authorities for "failing miserably" to implement ABC rules and asked dog feeders to take strays into their homes instead of letting them roam freely.