CHENNAI: A hassle that lasted just a few minutes and a rather meagre `10,000 as surety. That is all it took for the two MBBS students to walk out free on bail on Wednesday afternoon, which further enraged the public, who are yet to come to terms with their brutal nonchalance in flinging a hapless dog from the terrace of a three-storey building.
As per existing laws, they are eligible for the bail, but beyond the legalities, the obvious question that rang loud was whether the two students should be allowed to become doctors after completing medical education – a noble profession that saves lives. This question echoed in the minds of activists and the general public alike, and has even triggered an online petition demanding that they be debarred. “I don’t know what the law says. But from a moral point of view, guys with this mentality should not be allowed to become doctors,” actor TM Karthik told Express.
The duo - Gowtham Sudarshan from Tirunelveli who flung the poor animal, and his friend Ashish Paul from Nagercoil who filmed the scene - were suspended by Madha Medical College. But activists and animal lovers are worried that the case and the suspension are a mere slap on the wrist, as the Medical Council’s rules debar doctors from practice only during the period they spend in prison.
“Cruelty to animals is a pathological behaviour...Such people may have strong criminal tendencies. They are not empathetic [as a doctor should be], but manipulative and exploitative,” said Radhika Acharya, Consultant Rehabilitation Psychologist at Maa ENT Hospital, Hyderabad, who stressed that the punishment should be one that induces a change in attitude.
Veterinarians at the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) were shocked when they saw the dog that was thrown off a terrace, as shown in a video that went viral on Monday, alive and walking. The dog was escorted by police and activists to the hospital after it was found in Kundrathrur, late on Tuesday evening.
Not only was this five-month-old puppy able to stand and hobble forward, but there appeared to be no cuts, scratches or bleeding on the canine whatsoever. But the real miracle is this. “The dog has suffered a fracture in the spine, that normally would lead to paralysis,” said Dr R Jayaprakash, Director, Directorate of Clinics at TANUVAS. However in this case, he explains, “The fracture has not caused a break in the spinal column, possibly because it is only a puppy and it’s bones are still growing and pliable.”
The puppy, which is still in too much shock to bark, has an older fracture on the right hind leg that is being treated with a cast to set the bones back.
With jubilant photos of the dog being found and treated shared by activists on social media, several well-wishers have come forward offering to pay for medical expense of #Bhadrathewarrior
Meanwhile, at the Sriperumpudur Magistrate Court, the scene was just the opposite of inspiring. Gautam Sudarshan and Ashish Paul, who were arrested on Wednesday morning, were granted bail in an hour’s time. “We are disappointed and it’s a ‘Black Day’ for Animal Welfare,” said activist Shravan Krishnan.