Hyderabad, March 14 In yet another incident of stray dog killings, nearly 100 canines were allegedly "poisoned to death" in the Mancherial district, police said.
An animal welfare activist, A Goutham, in a complaint to the police, stated that around 100 stray dogs were killed in the Kishtapur village on the intervening night of March 7-8.
The complainant, who works as a Cruelty Prevention Manager with the Stray Animal Foundation of India (NGO), accused the Sarpanch and Gram Panchayath Secretary of Kishtapur village of hiring two people who killed the stray dogs by giving them poisonous injections and burying them near a river.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered under relevant sections of the BNS and the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Act at the Jannaram police station against the Sarpanch and Gram Panchayath, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.
Several incidents of mass killings of stray dogs were reported from different districts in Telangana in January this year and December last year, taking the toll to 1,300. Following these incidents, cases were registered against Sarpanchs, their husbands, Gram Panchayat Secretaries, and others based on complaints lodged by animal welfare activists.
The killings are suspected to have been carried out by some elected representatives, including Sarpanchs, allegedly to fulfill promises made to villagers ahead of the gram panchayat elections held in December last year, in order to address the problem of stray dogs.