Lately there have been situations where citizens are complaining about the stray dogs in the city but nobody spoke about the cruel troubles created by the citizens to the dogs. One such incidence was raised by few animal lovers in Vashi.
The incident:
A family residing at JN-1, Building no. 1, A-Wing, Sector 9, Vashi, lured a dog into their house by showing food, tied it with a nylon wire, which is used for clothesline, and handed it over to their neighbors. These were 2 men who then handed the dog to 15 to 18 young boys of around 18 years, who pulled it from both the sides with the nylon wire and beat the dog with sticks and stones till death. This was witnessed by many but nobody had the courage to stop them.
Dog lovers and activists say:
Rema Gala: After the incident was brought in our notice, I along with my friends and activists immediately approached Vashi beat police and the officials accompanied us to make a note of the place where this scary act took place and handcuff the culprits. But by that time, the culprits were absconding. The residents of the area confirmed that the dog was beaten to death but nobody dared to accept that they saw the brutal act, except one who does not wish to be named. We gave a letter mentioning about the act and details of the offenders, which was accepted by the police for information but they refused to file FIR. After this, we sent the same letter via e-mail to PETA, SPCA, BSPCA, IDA and Smt. Menaka Gandhi but nobody turned up for help. We are in process of sending more mails to other authorities are hoping for positive response from at least one organization or individual who will stand by us against this heinous crime. I have been feeding and taking care of the stray dogs in my locality from past 8 years but I never witnessed a single case of dog bite but people don’t understand that dogs bite only when provoked.
Nita Amla: There are so many organizations that make us believe that they work for the welfare of animals and when they are required during such serious incidents, nobody turns up. If they have formed organisations for safeguarding the animals then why does it happen that they do not take initiatives to simply support us when we are providing them all the facts and details? After the incident we met even the city DCP Purushottam Karad, who gave us assurance of forwarding our request of taking immediate action, to Vashi Sr P I Raosaheb Sardesai, who will further investigate the case.
Aditi Lahri: Stray animals are ownerless, mute and poor. The poorest of poor man may raise his/her voice but the voices of these destitute animals never reach the ears of the authorities. Not many are interested in the case of strays, specially coming from satellite towns. Perhaps it is not fashionable enough. Those who are fighting are middle class middle-aged ladies and not NGOs. I too am an animal lover, and face this apathy of the police time and again. Why shouldn’t the police register a complaint and proceed with the investigation to find out the truth by finding out the proof from the leads given in the complaint. Why is the PCA Act not respected? Those who kill innocent defenseless animals have a criminal bent of mind. The system should punish them.
A resident of Koperkhairane says, “Stray dogs can be very helpful and loyal. I used to sell milk earlier and whole lot of packets used to be delivered outside my building from where I had to pick them up and due to laziness, I never used to get come early. But the dogs never caused any harm to any of the packets. In fact they used to hold them in their mouth and keep at my doorstep. Can a human being do that without any expectations?”
As per records, Navi Mumbai comes under the jurisdiction of IDA (In Defense of Animals) and is supposed to take care of the stray dogs and fight for their rights but in recent times, there have been complaints about them of not responding positively like before. After calling, they only give assurance but do not come forward to help the needful.
Rema Gala, Nita Amla, Lissy Pinto, A. Sethu Raman, N.S. Rawat, Shashi Ranjan and Savitri Verma are literally running from pillar to post to have their complaint registered. They are trying to bring to book the guilty, who killed a stray dog for no apparent reason. Interestingly, they are fighting for a dog which is not theirs but was adopted by a family of modest means. Such philanthropic people are being made voiceless by the system. It is this selfless group of feeders who are real animal lovers and doing animal welfare in right earnestness. Their charity comes from their own pocket. They do not crave for publicity and all they want is their strays to live in peace. Are they demanding something which goes against the grain of justice?
Poorva Joshipura, Chief Functionary of PETA, India informs that an individual is punishable if he/she commits the following crime:It is against the law to:
• Give an animal any injurious substance. It is illegal to put out poisoned food. (PCA, Section 11)
• Transport any animal in any manner that will cause him or her unnecessary suffering. This includes loading cows into trucks without ramps and overcrowding the vehicle as well as tying up pigs and carrying them on cycles (PCA, Section 11). All violations of Section 11 are punishable with a fine of Rs 100 and/or up to three months in jail.
• Sections 428 and 429 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) make it illegal to maim or cause injury to any animal with a monetary value greater than Rs 10. It is illegal to throw acid on cows. The Code also makes it illegal for cars to purposefully injure or kill dogs, cats and cows on the street. Offenders can be reported to the local animal protection group and police station and a case can be filed under the above-referenced sections. Punishment is a fine of Rs 2000 and/or a jail term of up to five years.
• Stray animals may not be used for research. The Rules for Experimental Animals, as formulated by the Committee for the Control and Supervision of Experimental Animals, state that only animals bred for the purpose of research by institutes registered by the Committee may be used for experimentation (although, of course, such animals suffer and feel pain just as much as strays or any other animal). It is illegal for any medical, educational or commercial research institute to pick up stray animals from the street or from the municipal pound for this purpose.
• It is illegal to kill homeless animals. Citizens may only report what they perceive as a nuisance to the municipal authorities. NMMC is required to maintain an animal pound for animals. Previously, they used to kill these animals (mainly dogs) cruelly by electrocution, starvation and burying alive. After 1992, it became illegal for them to kill stray dogs. The High Courts of Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Mumbai and several other states have specifically forbidden killing of stray dogs and have directed the municipal authority to introduce a sensible sterilisation programme instead. The Animal Welfare Board of India has established a code of conduct for them and failure to follow them can lead to contempt of court proceedings.
