It is believed the dogs were poisoned because village administrations had promised to do away with the stray dog menace once they won the recently concluded Panchayat elections.
In yet another case of dog killing, 100 strays were allegedly killed in Abbapur village, Gopalpally mandal of Jagtial district of Telangana. The incident came to light when dog carcasses were found buried at the village outskirts.
Police claim that 500 stray dogs have been killed in such poisoning cases in Telangana in the last few months, although NGOs put this number closer to 1,000.
The dog killings were allegedly done after the sarpanch and the secretary ordered for the same. The carcasses were recovered Sunday evening.
Based on complaint filed by Preethi Mudavath of Stray Animal Foundation of India (SAFI) Telangana police have lodged an FIR against village sarpanch and gram panchayat secretary under sections 325 read with 3(5) of BNS, and section 11(1)(a) of the Prevention of cruelty to Animals Act 1960.
Speaking to the Indian Express, the complainant Mudavath said: “We have recovered a good number of dog carcasses. We have not ascertained who poisoned them”. SAFI, meanwhile, accused the district administration of apathy. “The dog killings are continuing despite our petitions to the authorities including Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy,” Mudavath said.
The dog carcasses were sent for postmortem only after SAFI intervened, she added.
“The postmortem is important to determine the cause of death,” Mudavath told The Indian Express. When the dog carcasses were first discovered, they were inside a pit dug outside the border of the village, Mudavath said in her complaint.
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It is believed the dogs were poisoned because village administrations had promised to do away with the stray dog menace once they won the recently concluded Panchayat elections. Panchayat polls were held in December 2025 in Telangana.
Earlier, 120 dog carcasses were retrieved from two villages in Hanamkonda district of Telangana, while another 100 were recovered from Kamareddy district. Dogs were also found missing in Yacharam village near Hyderabad. In Jagtial, 300 dogs were allegedly poisoned.
The complaint said the government should have implemented animal control measures, including sterilisation and vaccination, to help people deal with the stray dog menace.
“The dogs were injected with poison and their food was also poisoned,” a police officer told The Indian Express, adding that the police will take the strictest possible action against those who poison the animals.
Nikhila Henry is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Hyderabad. With a career spanning 17 years, she has established herself as an authoritative voice on South Indian affairs, specialising in the complex intersections of politics, education, and social justice.
Experience & Career: Nikhila commenced her journalism career in 2007 as an education correspondent for The Times of India in Hyderabad,where she gained recognition for her coverage of student politics. Her professional trajectory includes a four-year tenure at The Hindu, where she focused on minority affairs and social welfare. In 2019, she took on a leadership role as the South Bureau Chief for The Quint, where she directed regional coverage across all five South Indian states. Her expansive career also includes a tenure at the BBC in New Delhi and contributions to prestigious international outlets such as The Sunday Times (London) and HuffPost India.
Expertise & Focus Areas
Nikhila’s reportage is marked by a deep-seated understanding of grassroots movements and institutional policy. Her core focus areas include:
Regional Politics: Comprehensive analysis of the socio-political dynamics across South India.
Education & Student Movements: Chronicling the evolution of Indian academics and the rise of youth activism.
Minority Affairs: Rigorous reporting on the welfare, rights, and challenges facing marginalized communities.
National Beat: Elevating regional stories to national prominence through investigative and on-ground reporting.
Authoritativeness & Trust
A respected figure in Indian media, Nikhila is not only a seasoned reporter but also an accomplished author and editor. She authored the critically acclaimed book The Ferment: Youth Unrest in India and edited Caste is Not a Rumour, a collection of writings by Rohith Vemula. Her dual background in daily news reporting and long-form authorship allows her to provide readers with a nuanced, historically-informed perspective on contemporary Indian society.
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