DEHRADUN: A senior Army officer, who has been accused of beating three stray dogs to death and causing
severe injuries
to two others at the Garhi Cantt area in Dehradun, has proceeded on leave while a
police investigation
and an
Army court
of inquiry are looking into the charges, which are grave enough to have created a major controversy among defence personnel and civilians, with dog-lovers appealing to Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat to act on the matter.
On the evening of May 11, according to the FIR filed after the incident,
Maj Manish Thapa
of the
Intelligence Corps
was out for a walk when he came across a lieutenant colonel feeding stray dogs on the street. He then allegedly attacked the dogs with an iron rod, killing three of them outright and severely injuring two others in front of shocked eyewitnesses.
One of the witnesses, on condition of anonymity, told TOI, “At around 11 pm, we heard dogs yelping in pain. We rushed outside and saw the officer chasing and beating the dogs with a rod. We tried to stop the attack but by the time we found them, three dogs were dead. The officer then managed to dispose of the dogs. A fourth dog was unconscious while a fifth was injured.”
Early on May 12, after being informed of the vicious attack, animal rights activist Puja Bahukhandi arrived at the spot and took the injured dogs with her and filed an FIR against Maj Thapa.
“We have questioned witnesses, including the officer’s neighbours. We have seen the two injured dogs, one of which had suffered a severe head injury. It was evident that they had been beaten. We have not located the bodies of the other three dogs so far,” said Inspector N D Pandey, office in charge of the investigation.
Maj Thapa, said the police officer, had gone on leave and was not in the city. “His phone is also not reachable. However, it is still a case of cruelty against animals. We have been informed that he will return and be available for questioning shortly.” Pandey added.
A court of inquiry has been instituted by the Army to look into the incident, while a storm of criticism has erupted against the accused officer. Two Chennai medical students who allegedly threw a puppy from the third floor of a building in July 2016 had been tracked and arrested by police after a public outcry. A similar backlash is now brewing against Maj Thapa. A petition has been started on Facebook urging Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat to take action against Thapa. The petition has already got 2,000 signatures.
“Army officials have said there was an altercation between Thapa, who has pet dogs, and the lieutenant colonel, who feeds strays. That is beside the point. An altercation does not justify killing dogs. Even if the bodies are not found, authorities should take strict action against Thapa,” said Bahukhandi, who is planning to write to the ministry of defence about the case.
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