Votes Won, Voices Buried: 500 Dogs Killed In A Week In Telangana To Fulfil 'Election Promise'

In a fresh incident of stray dog killings, around 200 canines were allegedly killed in Telangana's Kamareddy district, taking the toll to about 500 in the last one week, police said on Tuesday.

Sources from villages said (some) elected representatives, including sarpanches, allegedly carried out the killings to "fulfill promises made to villagers" during the recent gram panchayat elections to tackle the stray dog menace.

Police said a case has been registered against six persons, including five village sarpanches, for their alleged involvement in the incident.

Telangana Police have intensified their investigation into the mass killing of stray dogs, initiating legal action against 15 individuals, including seven village heads across the Hanamkonda and Kamareddy districts. This marks one of the largest crackdowns on animal cruelty in the state's history following reports that at least 500 dogs have been poisoned to death in the first two weeks of the new year.