Kerala dog killing: Activists demand end to cruelty, stage stir at Jantar Mantar

Activists alleged that despite the Supreme Court issuing orders in favour of the street dogs to protect them from any harm, dogs are being killed mercilessly in the southern state and several other parts of the country.

Animal rights activists staged a peaceful protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Saturday to protest against the random culling of street dogs in Kerala amid a rise in bite incidents.

Children hold posters against animal cruelty at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Saturday.(HT Photo)

The activists alleged that despite the matter being sub-judice and the Supreme Court issuing orders in favour of the street dogs to protect them from any harm, dogs are being killed mercilessly in the southern state and several other parts of the country.

They said the top court has also ordered against the street dogs' relocation from their respective territories, the same is rampant in several parts of the country.

At the protest site, were a large number of children and young adults who held placards that read ‘there is no excuse to animal abuse’ and ‘in loving memory of all the lives lost to human cruelty, greed, neglect, intolerance and brutality’.

Sharing a list of animal cruelty incidents, the activists said in Kerala, more than 1,000 dogs, including pets, have been poisoned, beaten to death with iron rods and sticks, hung by the neck, burned and buried alive.

In Karnataka's Bellary, over 100 street dogs whose mouths and legs were tied with metal wires were thrown into the forest. Another 60 street dogs were beaten up, bound and thrown outside the municipal limits in Belgaum of Karnataka.

In Bijapur, Karnataka, over 25 dogs and pups were beaten and taken away by the Patil Medical College.

The protesters demanded immediate nationwide implementation of the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2001 to sterilise and immunise street dogs, and encourage public participation in the campaign.

They also called for appropriate sensitivity training for municipal and panchayat staff as well as for police and law enforcement agencies. They also sought inclusion of animal welfare as a subject in schools.

Besides, promotion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative to adopt Indian dogs, preventing illegal breeding and sale of dogs.

The activists also demanded immediate adoption of the amended Prevention of Cruelty To Animals Act, 1960, with increased punishment for crimes against animals.