Over 300 Dogs Killed In Telangana, 9 Booked Including Sarpanch

Hanumakonda: In a shocking incident, nine people have been booked for allegedly poisoning and killing nearly 300 stray dogs in Shayampet and Arepally villages of Telangana's Hanumakonda district. An FIR has been registered against all nine, including the two panchayat heads, their husbands, a deputy sarpanch, two village secretaries and two daily wage labourers, police said on Sunday.

The complaint was initially filed by a member of the Stray Animal Foundation of India, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Karimnagar district.  Reportedly, the dogs were poisoned over a span of three days, and their carcasses were buried on the outskirts of the villages, the complaint by animal welfare activists alleged.

Police said that during the course of the investigation, the carcasses of more than 120 dogs have been found. They have been sent for post-mortem examination and samples have also been forwarded to a laboratory to determine the accurate cause of death.

According to the police, preliminary investigation suggests that the motive behind this act of poisoning hundreds of dogs was possibly to curb the stray dog population in the villages, which was further linked to the promise of dealing with the stray dog menace made during the recently concluded sarpanch elections. The panchayat heads allegedly hired two persons to carry out the poisoning and disposal of the dogs.

The FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the police said, adding that further investigation remains underway.

This comes amid reports of a three-year-old boy being attacked by a pack of 14 stray dogs at Daultabad village in Telangana's Sangareddy district on Wednesday. On Thursday, the Supreme Court was told that removing stray dogs from public spaces can cost the government up to Rs 26,800 crore, in a response to its November 7 order directed all States and Union Territories to remove stray dogs from the premises of educational institutions, hospitals, andother public spaces. 

Also read: Can’t Predict a Dog’s Mood’: Supreme Court Flags Safety Concerns, Says ‘Promote More Cats Instead'