Warangal (Telangana) [India], January 28 : Police have registered an FIR following allegations of inhumane treatment of dogs on the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Warangal campus, officials said.
The FIR names the Chief Warden, Abdul Azeem and the private dog-catching team as accused under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
Dara Kavitha, Central Zone Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), said that the institute resorted to getting private dog catchers following the dog menace on campus since November, as the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) did not have dog catchers at the time.
The dog catchers caught the dogs in a brutal and inhumane manner using metal wires, dragged them forcefully and kept them in their vehicle in order to release them in a new location, according to the FIR. Following this, an FIR was registered under the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
"On 19th January, we received information about the problems regarding. When we verified, we found that dog menace has been prevalent in the (NIT) campus since November and they had been writing to GWMC to address this issue... The University then reached out to police regarding this issue, and since GWNC did not have government dog-catchers, they resorted to private catchers who came to the campus and caught 5-6 dogs," the DCP told ANI.
"Since the catching of dogs was not done in a proper manner, we have registered an FIR under Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, and the case is under investigation...," she added.
Animal welfare activists intervened to halt the relocation and students recorded the incident, which went viral on social media, prompting police action. Following complaints from two NGOs, the dogs were released back onto the campus.
"Some of the students recorded this process... We received complaints based on those videos after they went viral," the DCP said. When we verified, and the SHO suggested that the University leave the dogs, we received 2 complaints from 2 different NGOs... The dogs were released on campus after NGOs approached about animal cruelty...," the DCP said.
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