Mumbai News: Five Booked Under BNS For Dumping Stray Dogs In Aarey; Two Puppies Dead, One Missing (Video)
Police have added criminal charges under the Bharatiya Nyay Samhita against five residents of a Kandivali East cooperative housing society who dumped around 20 stray dogs, including three puppies, in the Aarey forest. The Samta Nagar police recently released a message that warned citizens that animal cruelty is a crime that will be punished.
The residents of Samarth Nagar Cooperative Housing Society, Hanuman Nagar were initially charged under section 11 (1) (a) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act for abandoning an animal in cruel conditions. However, animal rights organisation, People For Animals, campaigned for addition of section 325 of the BNS, which prosecutes the accused for maiming animals. The additional charges were added after the post-mortem report of two puppies found dead.
The accused had rounded up the dogs on April 13, put them in a covered cargo van, and abandoned them in a leopard habitat. PFA volunteers rescued 12 dogs. The dead puppies were found with teeth marks. One puppy is missing and is presumed to have been taken away by leopards. The activists are trying to rescue the remaining dogs.
Anil Patil, senior inspector of Samta Nagar police station, said, "We have questioned the residents of the building and will file a chargesheet soon. We will confiscate the tempo used to transport the dogs."
Animal rights activist Reshma Shelatkar said the rescued animals are in a shelter and will be returned to their original home. "This case will be a bench mark as it will make people think twice before inflicting cruelty on animals. The message is: you cannot get away with cruelty to animals," said Shelatkar.
The accused blamed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for neglecting the problem of stray dogs. Ravi Jogvekar, an accused, said they are being hounded by the public. "People are calling on the phone and abusing us. The animals created a mess in our building. People fed them biscuits, but this was inadequate. The dogs were hungry and aggressive. We were worried about children getting bitten. We did not leave them in a forest. There is human habitation there," said Jogvekar.
Animal rights activists said that Aarey has become a place to dump unwanted animals. Shreya Gupta, a lawyer and animal activist, said that Pagli, a dog at the Malad railway station market that she cared for, was taken to Aarey in a van by a vegetable vendor in April. "The animal was territorial and the vendor was worried about its behaviour. We are searching for the dog. I am collecting evidence o file a complaint against the accused," said Gupta.
news