While the city makes headlines for rising crimes against women and accidents, animal cruelty news has now shaken the city, with one dog allegedly burnt by an NGO, another hanged to death by a mother-son duo, and another shot at.
In a shocking incident in Pirangut, a dog was hanged to death by a mother and son. Paud Police have booked both Omkar Vinayak Jagtap and Prabhavati Vinayak Jagtap under relevant sections of BNS 325 (Whoever commits mischief by killing, poisoning, maiming, or rendering useless any animal shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, or with a fine, or with both) and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
Dog was beaten with sticks and killed mercilessly
Padmini Peter Stamp, who runs the NGO Mission Possible Foundation, filed a complaint and spoke to Free Press Journal. She said, "On Tuesday around 11:45 am, my colleague Farheen Shaikh received a call from the accused Omkar Vinayak Jagtap. During the call, Jagtap threatened to murder the dog if we did not take it. Acting on the situation, Shaikh urged him to stay calm and said she was sending an ambulance to take the dog into custody. However, within ten minutes, Jagtap sent her a video and photos of the dog, which had been beaten up by his mother (Prabhavati Vinayak Jagtap) and later hanged from a tree."
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"Both the accused are residents of Shivalaya Society in Pirangut, Pune. Acting on the video, we quickly reached the spot where we found the dead dog. Accordingly, we registered a complaint against them at Paud Police Station," she added.
Speaking to Free Press Journal, Satish Girigsavi, Senior Police Inspector of Paud Police Station, said, "Regarding the matter, we have registered the case and arrested both accused (mother and son). Both will be presented in court today."
The accused claimed they killed the dog because it was suffering from rabies and had become aggressive.
"However, we sent the dog for a post-mortem. After getting the post-mortem report, we will take action against them. In such cases, the culprits could be sentenced to up to five years."
15 dogs, 35 cats rescued
In another shocking incident in the Marunji area, a dog named Shadow, who was kept at an NGO, was found burnt near the shelter, and activists alleged that the NGO owner had burnt the dog, as villagers could hear a dog crying for help.
Following the intervention of former Union minister Maneka Gandhi, at least 15 dogs and 35 cats were rescued from a facility functioning as an animal shelter in Dattawadi, Hinjewadi, on Saturday evening. The animals were crammed into four to five cages without food or water for days, and several carcasses were also discovered at the site.
Another dog shot at
Meanwhile, in a third case, a man with a licensed gun shot at a dog in self-defense in the Parvati area of Pune on October 20.
The recent three cases have led to a huge uproar on social media, with Aaditya Thackeray tagging Pune Police and appealing for action.
