Panchayath secretary of Ponnakal said that surviving dogs are receiving treatment from a veterinary doctor and will be provided shelter.
20 stray dogs shot dead in Telangana. (Supplied)
During the wee hours of Friday, 16 February, tragedy struck Ponnakal village in Telangana’s Mahbubnagar district, as unidentified individuals opened fire on a group of stray dogs.
Over twenty dogs lost their lives, while another ten were injured in the cruel attack in Ponnakal Village, of Addakal Mandal, in Mahabubnagar district.
The Station House Officer of Addakal, Srinivas confirmed that a case has been registered under various sections including 429 (for killing, poisoning, maiming, or rendering useless any animal or animals of the value of fifty rupees or upwards) of the Indian Penal Code, Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, and Section 26 of the Arms Act, 1959.
According to the police they have also found bullets in the village and witnesses also described that guns were big enough to view and shoot the dogs from a distance.
A video of a witness named Raghavender Reddy from the Ponakkal village, shared with South First by NGO — Stray Animal Foundation of India, shed light on the horrifying incident.
The witness explains: “My name is Raghvender Reddy, and I reside in Ponnakal village. In the early hours of the morning, at around 1:20 am, I witnessed a group of individuals arriving in a Brezza car and opening fire on stray dogs in our village.”
He adds: “I was alerted by a call from my driver, who informed me that dogs near his house had been shot dead. Upon hearing this, I immediately went outside and remained vigilant. Within five minutes, I witnessed another dog being shot dead by the same car as it passed by.”
Reddy further adds: “Although I was unable to capture the vehicle’s registration number, I can confirm that there were four individuals inside. By 2 am, the car had left the village and headed towards the highway.”
Meedigeri Vijaya Rama Raju, Panchayath secretary of Ponnakal, reported that the surviving dogs are receiving treatment from a veterinary doctor and will be provided shelter until they recover.
Injured dogs being treated. (Supplied)
Addakal SHO, Srinivas speaking to South First said, “The investigation is ongoing. The Postmortem is completed and the report will be further submitted to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). The funeral and caretaking of injured dogs will be taken care of by the village Panchayat officers.”
Adulapuram Goutham, PCA officer for the Stray Animal Foundation of India NGO speaks about the violence on stray dogs.
Speaking with South First he says, “The mass killings of dogs have been happening across the rural in Telangana, In this case, I have taken immediate action by filing an online complaint with the Addakal Police Station.”
Speaking of the efforts taken to save the injured dogs, he adds: “Additionally, I have contacted the District Panchayat officer and the District Veterinary and Animal Husbandry officer, urging them to provide shelter and necessary medical attention for the injured dogs.”
“This heinous act has left our community in shock and furthermore, I am reaching out to Mahabubnagar SP and Telangana DGP, urging them to launch an immediate investigation to apprehend the culprits responsible for this senseless act,” he added elaborating on the steps to take to apprehend the accused.
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