Tied to scooter, dog dragged along road in Malappuram

MALAPPURAM: Yet another instance of cruelty to animals surfaced in the state on Saturday, after the video of a dog tied to a scooter being dragged along a road at Edakkara in Malappuram went viral. The dog was freed after a passerby, Ummer Valappan, confronted Xavier, the man riding the scooter and started to record a video.

Xavier, a native of Karunechi, had allegedly dragged his pet dog along the road for at least 3km to West Perumkulam before he was intercepted. The accused, who is currently absconding, reportedly committed the gruesome act because the dog had a tendency to bite his slippers among other things at home. The canine, which sustained several injuries, is being treated by a Malappuram-based NGO — Emergency Rescue Force.

‘Man who dragged dog along road may get up to five years of jail term’

The incident took place merely four months after the video of a dog being dragged by a moving car through the streets in Paravoor shook the conscience of state. “It was around 5 pm when I saw this man riding scooter with a dog tied to the vehicle.

When I tried to stop him, he asked me to go away. I took out my phone and started to record. By then, a few other people had also noticed it. So he untied the dog and started to walk with it, while a boy who was riding pillion with him took the scooter and rode away,” said Ummer, a resident of West Perumkulam and a Muslim League worker.

After Ummer’s video went viral on social media, many canine lovers sent him messages urging him to approach the police, based on which he later filed a complaint at the Edakkara police station. A case has been registered against Xavier, said Edakkara CI Santhosh Kumar.

“We are yet to get more details of the accused. However, he has been booked under IPC Section 429 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Besides a penalty, he can get a jail term of up to five years,” the CI said.