The police on Tuesday arrested five persons, including an official of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Ranipet, for allegedly killing twnenty-one dogs.
According to Rajangam, inspector of Ranipet station, Gopinath (57), Additional General Manager (HR) of BHEL, Ranipet, and four narikuravas — Roja (41), Raman (35), Murugan (35) and Rajiv Gandhi (35) of Kuruvikara Street, Arivumuthu Mottur in Katpadi taluk — have been arrested in connection with the killing of dogs on BHEL Township premises. “Gopinath had engaged the four narikuravas to kill the dogs. Our inquiry has found that they killed 21 dogs on September 9 and buried the carcsses on the campus,” he said.
On Tuesday, the police exhumed the carcasses from a garbage dump close to a water body on the township premises. Specimens were sent for forensic analysis to determine the cause of death. “We are inquiring if they had poisoned the dogs. The five persons have been arrested and remanded,” the inspector said. They were booked under Section 429 (mischief by killing or maiming cattle, etc., of any value or any animal of the value of fifty rupees) of IPC read with section 11 (1) (l) (treating animals cruelly – if any person mutilates any animal or kills any animal (including stray dogs) by using the method of strychnine injections in the heart or in any other unnecessarily cruel manner) of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
A person, who witnessed the killing of dogs on September 9, wrote an email to the Animal Welfare Board of India. Union Minister Maneka Gandhi replied to the email, and forwarded it to Chennai-based animal activist T.B. Somanathan, who in turn, alerted the Vellore Collector.
“I saw persons administering injections to a few dogs on the premises of BHEL Township. The dogs were asleep when the injection was administered. Within 30 to 40 seconds, the animals died. They killed 41 dogs on the campus,” an eyewitness said on condition of anonymity.
Weak legislation
Mr. Somanathan said there was not much awareness about rules and regulations against cruelty to animals. “The present legislation — the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act — is not strong. People are warned and let off in some cases. Even if an FIR is filed, there is no arrest or people get bail,” he said.
Pointing out that those guilty of cruelty towards animals get away, he said there should be stern action. “Such incidents of mass killing do happen in rural areas of Tamil Nadu. The only solution to managing stray dogs is effective implementation of the animal birth control programme. Presently, this programme is not carried out efficiently,” he said.
The carcasses were unearthed from a garbage dump near a water body in Ranipet
