One person was booked after four five-day old puppies were burnt alive as wild plants were set on fire in a vacant plot on the pretext of cleaning it. Eyewitness and complainant in the case said that the wild growth was set alight and puppies left to die despite her appeals to the plot owner, an NRI woman, and the handyman — a vegetable vendor — hired for the job. Eyewitnesses recalled that as the puppies were set on fire their mother watched helplessly, howling and attempting to save her newborns. They added that she was later seen whining near the dead puppies. Jalandhar Police has now booked Mohadi Lal, a vegetable vendor, under Section 11 (1) of the Prevention of Animal Cruelty Act 1960 and Section 428 of IPC on the complaint of a woman Reena Kohli of the same locality, who is an eyewitness to the incident. The allegations against the NRI woman are being probed, said the police. The incident took place at Jalandhar’s GTB Nagar Avenue on March 27. It was after Jeev Welfare Society, an animal welfare organisation, took up the case that Jalandhar police registered a case on Saturday evening. The complainant, Reena Kohli, said that when she came to know that plot was being cleaned in such a manner, she immediately rushed to stop the plot owner and the vegetable vendor, and told them that four five-day old puppies are there inside the plot. “They ignored me and the NRI lady said nothing was there inside the plot. I then showed them pictures of the puppies which were inside the plot,” said Reena. She added: “I also told them that burning anything in open is not allowed as per law as it leads to pollution, but she did not pay heed.” According to the FIR,”Police visited the spot and found that four puppies had been burnt in the fire.” ASI Gurdev Singh of police division six, said that a case has been filed against Mohadi Lal of same locality, who originally hails from Uttar Pradesh, and further investigation is going on. Mayank Bali, president of Jeev Welfare Society, said that they even met the plot owner and told her that her act was cruelty against animals, but she showed no remorse. According to Bali, the plot owner told them that she was flying out on March 27 itself.
