In yet another incident of stray dog killings, nearly 100 canines were allegedly "poisoned to death" in Mancherial district, police said.
An animal welfare activist, A Goutham, in a complaint to police, stated that on the intervening night of March 7-8 around 100 stray dogs were killed in Kishtapur village.
The complainant, working as Cruelty Prevention Manager with the Stray Animal Foundation of India (NGO) accused that the Sarpanch and Gram Panchayath Secretary of Kishtapur village, hired two persons and killed the stray dogs by giving poisonous injections and buried them near a river.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered under relevant sections of BNS and Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Act at Jannaram police station against the Sarpanch and Gram Panchayath, police said, adding that further investigation is on.
Several incidents of mass killings of stray dogs were reported from different districts in Telangana in January this year and December last year taking the toll to 1,300 following which cases were registered against Sarpanchs, their husbands, Gram Panchayat Secretaries and others based on complaints lodged by animal welfare activists.
The killings are suspected to have been carried out by some elected representatives, including Sarpanchs, allegedly to fulfill promises made to villagers ahead of gram panchayat elections held in December last year, to address the stray dog menace.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
