Bhubaneswar: A mother-son duo was booked for allegedly killing a dog by hanging it from a tree in Pune district, according to reports. The accused has been identified as Omkar Jagtap, the dog’s owner, and his mother Prabhavati.
“On October 22, Prabhavati allegedly assaulted their pet Labrador with a stick. Later, her son Omkar hanged the canine from a tree. We have booked them under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act,” Paud Road police station senior inspector, Santosh Girigosavi said, as quoted by Deccan Herald.
This disturbing case of animal cruelty took place in Pune’s Pirangut area and drew flak from animal lovers from across the country.
The incident was first reported on social media when a foundation that advocates for animal rights— streetdogsbombay—shared on Instagram how the dog was ‘severely’ beaten by its owner. The foundation had claimed that an SOS call was made to authorities.
But, before help could arrive, the pet was reportedly found hanging from a tree. Later, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray raised the incident on social media, while Padmini Stump, an animal activist who operates a shelter home for dogs, approached the Pune rural police with a complaint against the accused.
An FIR was lodged at Paud police station against the duo under Section 325 of BNS and Section 11(1)(a) and 11(1)(l) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act by the activist.
But, why was the dog killed?
Before killing the pet, the family had reportedly called up one dog lover from Pimpri. They had asked her to take the dog away, reports claimed. But, later they sent a photograph of the dog hanging from the tree to the foundation.
The family had taken the dog to a vet and asked him to conduct some tests, including rabies, on the animal, claimed Padmini, the Deccan Herald reported. The duo might have killed the pet presuming that it had been infected with rabies, the activist claimed in various media reports.