Dog poisoning case: Animal welfare body files fresh FIR

Only five of the 18 dogs that were allegedly fed food laced with poison have survived.

“This is not just a case of poisoning of dogs and cruelty to animals but also a threat to public health. Poisoned food was kept near the market and Jhoola Park. It could have been picked up by anyone — the victim could have been a child. If a cow had consumed the same thing and died,there could have been communal discord in the area,” Anjali Sharma,legal advisor for AWBI,said.

It has also emerged that several residents had raised the issue of increasing stray canine population in the area,and of dogs reportedly biting people.

In a meeting of the Residents’ Welfare Association,the issue was discussed among the residents.

The police are investigating allegations that certain local residents are behind the poisoning. Several of the dogs that died had been inoculated and sterilised by animal lovers in the area,NGO workers said. “We will be interrogating the residents tomorrow,” said a police officer said. A group of residents will also meet Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit about the matter on Wednesday.

A postmortem examination of a dog by animal welfare NGO Friendicoes had earlier confirmed that the dogs were poisoned.