ARIYALUR: A man and his family members staged a road blockade on Wednesday night near Thamaraikulam in the district, condemning a private cement factory for allegedly catching their pet dog and leaving it in the forest area.
According to sources, Rajagopal (45) resides in Thamaraikulam village near Ariyalur. His pet dog (a mongrel) went missing on Wednesday afternoon. He searched for it till night, but in vain.
On enquiring neighbours, Rajagopal learnt that a private cement factory operating near his house had caught stray dogs, including his pet which was roaming on the street, and set them loose in the forest area near Padalur in Perambalur district.
Upset over this, Rajagopal and his family members stopped the lorries belonging to the factory and staged a road blockade around 11.30 pm, condemning the management.
Police pacified Rajagopal and his family members, who later dispersed.
Speaking to TNIE, Rajagopal’s son Arun Prakash said, “The factory caught 17 dogs, including ours, and left them in the forest. How can they catch a pet dog? They did not get any permission from the Ariyalur municipality for carrying out such a drive. This is a reprehensible crime. We questioned the management about this, but there has been no proper reply. The authorities should take proper action in this regard.”
Blue Cross reports cruelty
Meanwhile, an office-bearer of the Blue Cross in Tiruchy complained about a group of youth who brutally killed a dog. R Raghavan said that on December 12, the group had stoned a sleeping dog, tied it to an autorickshaw, dragged the animal to a distance, doused it with petrol and set it on fire. A video of the incident went viral. The police said they are yet to identify the youth, but added that they would nab them soon.