NEW DELHI: A group of “dog lovers” allegedly assaulted a team of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and vandalised the official vehicle in Delhi’s Rohini area on Monday when the latter had gone to catch dogs. The group also forcibly released the captured stray dogs in two locations.
An FIR has been registered at the KN Katju Marg police station. According to the FIR, a team comprising Om Prakash (driver) and other staff members Ratan, Deepak, Pushpendra, and Anil attended a complaint regarding a stray dog at Sarvodaya Vidyalaya, Rohini Sector 16.
The complaint was lodged following a call from veterinary inspector Ram Siya Saket. Acting on the information, the team caught one dog in Sector 16 and another in Sector 3, Rohini. According to the FIR, a group of dog lovers arrived at the spot, misbehaved with the staff, and assaulted them, forcing the team to release the dog caught in Sector 3 and return the one from Sector 16 to its original location. As the dog lovers were many in number and aggressive, the staff eventually revisited Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Sector 16 and released the dog there.
“As the van exited the school premises, the same group surrounded the official vehicle, assaulted the staff again, vandalised the van by breaking its glass, and forcibly took away the vehicle tools, the ignition key, and the logbook before fleeing the scene,” it said. A senior police officer said that they have received video of the incident and are examining it.
Former Union Minister and convenor of the “No Dogs on Streets” campaign, Vijay Goel, on Tuesday filed a complaint and demanded strict action against the “so-called” dog lovers who, in blatant violation of the Supreme Court’s clear orders, not only obstructed official work but also attacked MCD officers and damaged their vehicles. Goel added that it is not only contempt of court but also a serious threat to the safety of citizens.
According to the police, the CCTV footage of the incident was analysed, and a suspect identified as Bhavik Wassan (34), a resident of Rohini Sector-3, was apprehended.
During interrogation, it was found that Wassan regularly fed four stray dogs outside his shop in Rohini Sector-3 and was part of a WhatsApp group called “Rohini Dog Lovers”, managed by Neha Nayyar. On Monday, when MCD officials came to pick up one of the dogs, Wassan alerted the group and shared his location. Soon after, members arrived and forced the officials to release the dog, police said.