NEW DELHI: In what is being seen as an extreme case of cruelty against the animals, two stray puppies, both around 3 months old, were found hanging in the national capital's Dwarka area.
The incident was highlighted by senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi. "This is unbelievable. How. Anyone who can think of doing this, much less do it, is unimaginable. Logic says no but the full force of the heart says the perpetrators must meet the same fate as victims," Singhvi wrote on Twitter along with a screenshot of a Facebook post about the incident.
The incident was first shared on a Facebook group by an account 'Mystique Mirage' which said the puppies were hanged to death at a vacant plot in sector 9 Dwarka on December 27 evening at a time when their mother was taken away for sterilisation
"The puppies were healthy, immunized and dewormed, and well fed. They used to remain inside the vacant plot itself. Four of their siblings who survived have been shifted to a local shelter till their mother returns after sterilization," the post read.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Harsha Vardhan said a complaint was received regarding the killing of stray dogs in a secluded park in Dwarka after which an FIR was registered under section 429 (Mischief by killing or maiming animal) of the Indian Penal Code.
"Post-mortem of the dogs was conducted. Efforts are being made to identify and arrest the accused person," the senior official said.
The complaint was lodged by Vanessa Alphonso, who is a teacher at a private school in Delhi. While speaking to the New Indian Express, Alphonso said there was a family of six dogs who were living at a vacant plot near their society. "I started feeding them since lockdown. On December 27, the civic agency took the dog's mother for sterilization. In the evening I saw only 4 puppies and two were missing. I thought they must playing somewhere around," Alphonso said.
"The next morning when I went there, I yet again saw only 4 puppies and two were missing. Suddenly I saw a red cloth, which the puppies were wearing, at some distance and when I went closer, I found one of the puppies hanging from the branch of a tree. And close by was her sister. They were possibly strangled," the school teacher said demanding stringent action against the culprit.
When asked what could possibly be the reason behind this cruelty, Alphonso said,"I really don't know. Some people do object to dogs living near society but they don't see the dogs are actually protecting their area. If dogs are born there, they have every right to live there. The world is not meant only for humans, animals are too part of it." Alphonso has been feeding more than 400 dogs across the city.
Notably, animals are not only kept as pets but some are even worshipped by people in India, yet, instances of animal cruelty keep surfacing every then and now from different parts of the country even as there are numerous laws, conventions, and treaties to safeguard animal rights.
According to the Animal Protection Index 2020, India fared well. The index ranks countries from A (the highest score) to G (the weakest score) according to their policy and legislation. India attained a C ranking in 2020 in the index.