Man beats stray to death, booked

Mumbai: A Deonar local allegedly beat a stray dog to death with a bamboo stick until it bled to death and threw the carcass into a nullah from where it got washed away, last Tuesday.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have filed a first information report (FIR) against the perpetrator. The PETA said the accused is yet to be arrested and there are two eyewitnesses to the incident.

The incident happened on September 4, the eve of Ganpati visarjan. The police said that an eyewitness told them that the panicked dog had entered the accused’s house and was trying to escape loud noise emanating from firecrackers and music blaring from speakers from a Ganpati visarjan ceremony. The accused allegedly responded by killing the dog.

Meet Ashar, PETA India’s emergency response coordinator, said,  “A compassionate person would have helped the scared dog, instead, this dog first was traumatised by fireworks and loud noise and then died a horribly painful death.”

“PETA is calling for an investigation and for anyone found guilty to be punished to the fullest extent of the law, including jail time under the Indian Penal Code. This case also once again highlights the need for stronger penalties for cruelty to animals ,” Ms Ashar added.

A senior police official said, “Under Section 429 of The Indian Penal Code as well as sections 11(1)(a) and (l) of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, we have registered an offence.”

“A detailed inquiry has been initiated against the culprit, we came to know the accused has verbally admitted to eyewitnesses to beating the dog to drive the animal away,” he added.