On Monday this week, seven puppies were stabbed to death at Kargil Apartments in Sector 19. The killer didn’t stop at that — he then disembowelled a body and laid out the rest in a pattern. On Wednesday, three dogs were found dead at Akshardham Apartments in the same sector — they were poisoned, said police. News
Both incidents, close on the heels of one another, have shocked the people of Dwarka — animal lovers or not.
Deepak Verma, a resident of Sector 10, said, “At Akshardham Apartments, almost a month back four dogs were beaten to death — so, the four dead dogs don’t come as a surprise.”
Dog lover Swati Chawla, who was once attacked by residents for feeding stray dogs, shared, “This seems like a trend — growing violence against animals. At Kargil Apartments again, about three-four months back, a few puppies were thrown out of the society inside a jute bag. It’s a disturbing trend.”
She added, “I have been dealing with the negative attitude of people for taking care of stray animals. Once when I was attacked and threatened by a group of people, Animal Welfare Board of India intervened. They erected a board to earmark a place to keep water and food for the animals. But that too is a problem for many. People often break the containers in which food and water is kept. So there is no acceptance for stray animals in Dwarka.”
The site earmarked by Animal Welfare Board of India in Sector 10
Not just stray dogs, seven cows met with a similar fate this summer. No one took notice of the incident, said Chawla.
But such mindless killings point to a more disturbing trend, feel experts.
Ekistician* and author of the book The Ekistics of Animal and Human Conflict Rishi Dev, a Dwarka resident, opined, “There is an FBI study — also by Interpol — that a serial killer starts with the killing of animals. The US has already faced this problem of animal cruelty in 1950s, and thus, there are strict animal protection laws in place. Interestingly, the Interpol follows such vicious killings of animals, as the killer could have tendencies of a psychopath. So these killings should not be let off easily — the police must look at it from a deeper perspective.”
Dev has been raising the voice against killing of dogs in Bengaluru, and is fighting a case in the Supreme Court.
*One who studies human settlements
