MOHALI: The owner of an animal shelter in a village here has claimed that 31 of her dogs were attacked with acid and machetes after she refused to vacate a rented property. Resham Dhaliwal had some time ago rented two rooms for the animal shelter -- Protection and Care for Animals (PACFA) -- she runs in Nandiali village.
The owner of the property, Balwinder Singh, wanted her to vacate the rooms but she refused to do so, leading to a heated argument between them on Monday.
What Dhaliwal saw the next day shocked her. As many as 31 of her dogs had been attacked with acid, machetes and sticks. "I found the charred body of a dog with acid burns," she said. Animal rights body PETA said a dog was killed in the attack, 11 were seriously injured and 19 were missing. Sohana SHO Rajan Parwinder Singh said a case has been registered against three persons -- Balwinder, his son Jimmy and servant Dharminder -- on charges of theft, wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation and under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act. Balwinder has been arrested, while the two others are at large, he said. The arrested person has, however, denied the allegations.
PETA has also written to the Director General of Police, demanding immediate action against the attackers. The police are probing the matter.