Mass dog killings in Telangana: 500 canines poisoned to death to fulfil poll promise
PTC News Desk: Serious allegations of mass killing of street dogs have emerged in Telangana, where around 500 dogs were reportedly poisoned in the last week across several villages. According to media reports, the killings were allegedly done to fulfil promises made during recent gram panchayat elections.
Animal welfare activist Adulapuram Goutham (35) filed a complaint on January 12, saying that dogs were being killed in villages like Bhavanipet, Palwancha, Faridpet, Wadi, and Bandarameshwarapally in Kamareddy district. He said about 200 dogs had been killed in just the last two or three days.
Goutham claimed he got reliable information around 3 pm on January 12 about ongoing mass killings and that village sarpanches had ordered them. Police have registered a case against six people—five sarpanches and one man named Kishore Pandhey, who was allegedly hired to carry out the killings.
Goutham said the dogs were given poisonous injections. When he and a friend went to Bhavanipet around 6 pm the same day, they found several dead dogs dumped near a temple. Calling the acts “intentional and cruel,” he demanded strict action.
Police said the bodies of the dogs had been buried outside the villages, and veterinary teams later dug them up for post-mortem examinations. According to sources, some local leaders had promised villagers during last December’s elections that they would deal with the stray dog and monkey problem—and are now allegedly trying to “ fulfil ” those promises by killing the dogs.
A senior police officer said viscera samples have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory to confirm the cause of death and identify the poison used. Notices have been issued to the accused. Villagers also told PTI that some elected representatives were behind the killings to keep their election promises.
- With inputs from agencies
