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Journalism of Courage
A dog catcher and his aides, accused of culling 40 stray dogs last week, were booked after a Mumbai-based dog lover raised an alarm over the killings.
Acting on a complaint filed by Reena Richard, Secretary of Mumbai-based Sat Jeev Karuna Parivar Trust, Kannur police moved against the accused, who were killing dogs in Puzhathi village by injecting them with potassium cyanide.
Richard, a lawyer, said she had filed the police complaint after getting a call from Kannur on August 22 about the killing of dogs at Puzhathi.
The locals from Puzhathi, however, were reportedly angry over Richard’s complaint. Panchayat Development Committee chairman Jagesh Babu said animal lovers failed to understand the threat posed by stray dogs.
“Recently, many people, including children, were bitten by stray dogs. These dogs were even a threat to morning walkers. So, local people arranged for a dog catcher. The panchayat body has no role in it,” added Babu.
While the panchayat denied any role, Richard blamed them for breaking the law. Killing of stray dogs is an offence under Section 428 and 429 of IPC and also under Section 11 of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960. The Supreme Court had stayed the killing of stray dogs in 2009.
Last month, the state government had decided to cull dangerous dogs and adopt sterilisation methods to control the population of strays.
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