Youth activists beat dogs to death, parade carcasses
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Workers of Youth Front (Mani) killed 10 dogs and took out a rally in Kottayam parading their carcasses. The activists were infuriated with the death of a woman who had suffered severe dog bites.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two days after union minister Maneka Gandhi took up the issue of stray dogs with state DGP Loknath Behra in Kozhikode, angry workers of Youth Front (Mani) killed 10 dogs and took out a rally in Kottayam on Monday, parading their carcasses.
The death of a woman who was admitted to a hospital after she suffered serious dog bites last week was rock bottom for these activists. Two months ago, strays had killed an aged woman and devoured a portion of her body on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram.
After beating the dogs to death, they tied the carcasses on a pole and took out a rally in the town. They shouted slogans against Maneka Gandhi and the state government for overlooking the plight of people on the street.
“If the situation continues like this, we will take the law in our hands. We can’t be mute spectators anymore. Those who are speaking for strays are agents of the powerful vaccine lobby,” said Youth Front state president Saji Manjakadambil.
Police have registered a case against the workers for cruelty against animals.
In 2016 till August, 51,000 dog bites and four deaths were reported from the state. Animal lovers have blamed the poor waste disposal method of the state for their proliferation.
Currently, there are only 1,500 vet surgeons in the state. Kerala needs at least double the number to carry out a sterilization programme. Since most of the local bodies don’t have the required infrastructure and facilities for ABC (animal birth control), they often resort to quicker means.