Mumbai: Dog brutally beaten inside college campus; FIR registered against watchman

MUMBAI: A local community dog named 'Bhola' was brutally beaten with a stick by a security guard inside the SNDT college campus at

Juhu

recently. Horrified animal rights activists who had rushed to the campus on hearing about the animal cruelty, saw

Bhola

partially paralyzed and writhing in acute pain.

An

FIR

has been lodged at

Santacruz

police station against the accused

watchman

, identified as Pratap Singh.


Activist

Savita Mahajan

of Animal Rescue and Care NGO told TOI: "We feed several local community dogs in and around Juhu area. The dog Bhola within the SNDT college campus was healthy and vaccinated. I was informed by some students that Bhola was very badly beaten up with a stick by the watchman, Pratap Singh, on February 4. On that fateful day, Bhola was limping due to a leg injury; and hence he was approaching several people in the campus to show them his wound. He was a friendly dog. However, we got to know that the watchman started hitting the dog at the behest of some college administrator's wife who did not want the dog inside."

Mahajan further added: "I immediately called up the accused watchman and audio recorded the conversation in which he confessed that he hit the dog, Bhola, as he was asked to do so in order to displace the animal. Another animal lover, Saylee Kale, also managed to record Singh's oral confession of hitting the dog with a stick. I then intimated the assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Sudhir Kudalkar, who was earlier posted at Santacruz, and with his help I recently lodged an FIR against the watchman for animal cruelty."

Mahajan said that members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India had also rushed to the spot to check Bhola's condition. He eventually died and was cremated. "So far, the accused watchman has not been arrested by the local cops. We also want action to be taken on whosoever ordered the watchman to shoo Bhola out of the campus; since it is illegal to dislodge any local community animal," she added.

ACP Kudalkar, who is currently attached to anti-corruption bureau, told TOI: "After I got to know about this animal cruelty case within SNDT campus, I asked the Santacruz police officials to take down the statements of the activists and register an FIR. In case, there are any more persons involved in this matter, then further police action can be taken."

When TOI contacted the Santacruz police station, an official said: "At present only the FIR against the accused watchman has been registered but arrest has not done as the police inquiry is still on in the matter. The offence was registered under IPC section 429."

PETA India's CEO and veterinarian, Dr Manilal Valliyate, commented: "This dog (Bhola) endured the terror and agony of being beaten and thrown into the drainage to drown. The best the veterinarian could do was to give him pain killers to minimize his suffering, while he took the last breath. This horrific attack is exactly why

PETA India

urges the public to report incidents of cruelty to animals immediately, as the kind student caller did in this case, so that the perpetrators can be punished to the fullest extent of the law."