Rajasthan: Doctor drags dog chained to car on road; booked
A doctor in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, was booked for chaining a stray dog to his car and driving around dragging the canine on Sunday. In a video doing rounds on social media, the dog can be seen struggling to keep up with the car's pace and running frantically. The dog reportedly sustained a fractured leg while its other limbs and neck were injured.
Doctor booked for animal cruelty
The doctor was identified as plastic surgeon Dr. Rajneesh Galwa posted at Jodhpur's government-run SN Medical College. The incident took place in the city's Shastri Nagar area. A case was registered against him under Section 428 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for maiming the dog and Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, said Shastri Nagar SHO Jogendra Singh.
Users starkly criticized the accused, questioning his sensibility as doctor
Doctor show-caused by his hospital
A show cause notice was also issued to Galwa seeking his response within 24 hours, said SN Medical College Principal and Controller, Dr. Dilip Kachhwaha. Reportedly, the stray dog often used to enter the premises of his house in a posh residential colony in Shastri Nagar. On Sunday, the dog trespassed again; Galwa became furious, chained it to his car, and drove away.
People arranged an ambulance for the injured dog
In a viral video, a motorcycle-borne person is seen pulling up in front of Galwa's car and signaling him to stop. Bystanders then unchained the injured dog and informed the animal welfare NGO Dog Home Foundation, and also arranged an ambulance for it. Galwa then reportedly called up the police saying the dog lives near his home and he was trying to remove it.
Police was reluctant to file case: Dog Home caretaker
The caretaker of the Dog Home Foundation reportedly alleged that police initially sided with Galwa and were reluctant to register a case. The caretaker said that cops also unnecessarily took the ambulance to the police station and kept it there for an hour despite requests to let the dog go for treatment. The FIR was lodged about two hours later, the caretaker claimed.
Stray dog 'menace' in Kerala
Of late, cases of violence against dogs have surfaced in most parts of the country. For instance, in Kerala alone, there has been a huge spike in such incidents, perhaps because of the increased number of stray dogs biting people. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan has urged people not to resort to violent measures to deal with stray dogs, calling it "unacceptable."
