Maneka Gandhi shuts down her animal centre after video of dog cruelty circulates online

Animal rights activist and BJP MP Maneka Gandhi on Saturday said that the Sanjay Gandhi Animal Care Centre in Delhi, run by her has been shut down "for a complete overhaul". The shutdown came after videos showing cruelty against a stray dog under treatment in the centre went viral. Following the death of the dog, Maneka Gandhi has now released a statement saying that the centre is now shut.

Maneka Gandhi shuts the Sanjay Gandhi Animal Care Centre

The animal care centre helmed by MP Maneka Gandhi was under high scrutiny after a video of dog cruelty went viral. The BJP MP along with the centre staff were strongly criticised over the incident. Now, the MP took to her Twitter handle to release a statement regarding the centre’s shutdown.

In the statement shared, Maneka Gandhi, claimed that the animal care centre had been short-staffed over the past year owing to the COVID pandemic. She revealed that two recently hired para-vets were providing support to the animals brought in. "Recently, a dog was brought in for a rescue... The rescue took a regrettable turn when the dog -- naturally agitated, as she was in extreme pain -- bit the para vet, who in turn retaliated with frightful violence. The dog died from her injuries," the statement said.

Speaking about the video of animal cruelty, Maneka Gandhi said that the incident "has shocked us all to the core".

"I have been personally seething with rage and have been sick to my stomach since I watched the horrifying video. We immediately filed an FIR against the para-vets and they have been arrested. The doctor in charge of the section has been given the notice to leave. But this is not enough," the BJP MP said.

She added that the 40-year-old care centre has "faltered in its mission and needs to be rebuilt again". She said the hospital will be shut down for "a complete overhaul". "We will rebuild this institution again -- physically (with the entire dog section rebuilt, with new infrastructure) and more importantly, in terms of staffing." Maneka Gandhi also added that the board will now "overhaul the hospital management and its staff completely while ensuring everyone working there is provided with animal sensitivity-training."

The video, showing an injured dog being beaten up was shared on Twitter on July 5 by animal activist Kaveri Bharadwaj. The video, which led to strong criticism for Maneka Gandhi showed a man slamming the dog against a wall hard and dropping her to the floor. The visuals showed two men hitting the dog which sustained some injuries on its leg and mouth.

IMAGE: PTI