Bengaluru, Oct 23: Three men have been booked and detained by the Bengaluru police for allegedly hanging a stray dog from a tree and beating the hapless animal to death with a thick stick near Gunjur, close to Greenwood High School in Varthur, on October 20. The horrific incident, reportedly captured on video, has gone viral on social media, triggering outrage and concerns over animal cruelty, police said on Friday.
The accused have been identified as Muniyappa, Murali and Puneeth, all residents of Bengaluru. The police initiated action following a complaint filed by an animal welfare activist after the video of the heinous incident of abject cruelty to an innocent animal, surfaced on social media.
According to the complaint, the accused, who are local residents, allegedly beat the stray dog brutally with a thick stick and killed it. The incident reportedly occurred in front of the school, and the sequence of events is said to have been captured by CCTV cameras.
The complainant urged the police to initiate stringent legal action against those responsible for inflicting horrific cruelty on a voiceless animal, stating that the incident had caused concern among members of the public.
Based on the complaint, the police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the three accused under Section 11(1) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and Section 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The accused were detained for questioning, and further investigation is underway.
Meanwhile, the Bengaluru Police Commissionerate issued a poster stating that cruelty to animals would not be tolerated. It confirmed that a case had been registered in connection with the killing of the hapless stray dog near Greenwood High School in Gunjur, Varthur.
“Bengaluru City Police has taken cognisance of the incident, and necessary legal action has been initiated,” the poster stated.
The police also reiterated their commitment to upholding justice and preventing cruelty to innocent animals.
It can be recalled that a 23-year-old youth, who had run over stray dogs with his luxury car in Jayanagar, was arrested by the Siddapura police in Bengaluru in February 2022.
The accused was identified as Adi Narayana, a resident of Jayanagar. He is the grandson of late D.K. Adikesavulu Naidu, former MP and ex-chairman of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Trust.
On January 26, 2022 evening, Adi had allegedly driven his luxury car on to the footpath, where stray dogs were peacefully sleeping, at 10th ‘B’ Main Road in Jayanagar 1st Block.
Animal rights activists had brought the horrifying incident to the notice of the police and sought action against the driver. A complaint was filed by a former Corporator on January 29, 2022 in connection with the incident.
The police, who verified the CCTV footage of the incident, arrested Adi and booked him under the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and Section 428 (commit mischief by killing, poisoning, maiming or rendering useless any animal or animals) of the IPC.
--IANS