“Humanity at stake”
Recently, 16 stray dogs allegedly culled in a housing society, brought in a lot of rage from the dog loving people in Kolkata. Residents of Diamond city, West Behala, have been accused of hiring men to kill stray dogs who were living inside the complex.
What happened
Around 20 to 25 stray dogs used to live in the complex. Some of the good residents took care of these dogs by feeding them and by taking care of them. In recent times, they noticed that the stray dog numbers were not adding up. Some of the dogs disappeared.
Over the past year, 16 mongrels have `disappeared’ and carcasses dumped in the area.
Hired men seen capturing the dogs
At first, no one suspected any foul play but later when they saw men armed with lathis and sacks chasing those dogs, they became suspicious. These hired men tortured and captured the dogs and left them to die.
Manisha Bhowmick, one of the residents of Diamond city, says that she saw those men dangling a puppy with rope round its neck.
Though she protested and freed the puppy, she was unable to get hold of the men who fled seeking help of the office bearers of the residents’ association.
This angered a section of residents who found out that some of their fellow residents were at fault. They traced 7 dogs and found them in plastic bags or tied to trees.
Image credits: Pooches N More
Action Taken
An FIR was lodged with the local Sarsuna police station. Several NGOs along with actress turned Trinamool MLA Debashree Roy reached the residential complex on Tuesday to protest. However, they were resisted by the security guards leading to a scuffle.
People protested for the stray dogs allegedly culled
On Tuesday, a brawl broke out when animal lovers went to show their support for the stray dogs that were culled. The protest resulted in a brawl between the animal lovers and residents of Diamond city. Many people were injured in the process and police had to intervene.
Denying the accusations, residents at the complex said that the animals “posed a threat to kids and elderly people” residing there. Now, police officials are guarding the complex area to avoid further brawls between dog lovers and the residents of the complex.
What residents say about the stray dogs allegedly culled!
Some of the residents accused of being part of this killing spree say that the entire matter was being taken care of by Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and they had no role to play at all.
“We had complained to the KMC and later their staff came twice and rounded up dogs for sterilization. It was on the third visit that animal lovers, including some from outside raised objections,” said Dipak Agarwal, president of Diamond City West Welfare Association.
Reference: IndiaToday & Times Of India
Another protest event is going to happen on 4th June, 5:00 P.M. – Details can be found here
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