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120 stray dogs killed by lethal injection in two Telangana villages, police book sarpanches

The killings took place between January 6 and 8 within the limits of the Shayampet and Arepally gram panchayats in Hanumakonda district.

2 min readHyderabadUpdated: Jan 14, 2026 03:39 AM IST

The carcasses of 120 dogs were recovered from the Shayampet and Arepally gram panchayat limits in Telangana. (Express Archive)

The Telangana Police registered cases against nine people, including two gram panchayat sarpanches and their husbands, in connection with the killing of around 120 stray dogs with lethal injections between January 6 and 8 in two villages of Hanumakonda district.

According to police in Hanumakonda, the carcasses of 120 dogs were recovered from the Shayampet and Arepally gram panchayat limits.

A police officer from Hanumakonda said, “There were likely 50-60 dogs per village, and all these dogs seemed to have been killed by lethal injection with the help of village authorities.”

Based on the complaint, police booked cases under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. The FIR was lodged after an NGO, the Stray Animal Foundation of India, lodged a complaint demanding action on those who poisoned the dogs. The complaint said the government should have implemented animal control measures, including sterilisation and vaccination, to help people deal with the stray dog menace.

Also Read | To resolve the street dogs issue, use reason and compassion, not fear and cruel

“The dogs were injected with poison and their food was also poisoned,” the Hanumakonda police officer said. Police have also started an awareness campaign to prevent the mistreatment of stray animals, officers said.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would ask states to pay “heavy compensation” for dog-bite incidents as it flagged concern over the lack of implementation of norms regarding stray animals in the past five years. A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N V Anjaria also said that “responsibility and accountability will be fixed on those who are feeding these stray dogs”.

Nikhila Henry

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. Find all stories by Nikhila Henry here. ... Read More

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