GHMC refutes allegations about mistreatment of dogs at animal care centre

Acting in response to viral photos and video clips of dog carcasses in animal care centre at Patel Nagar, Amberpet, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has filed a police complaint against an outsourced employee for sharing selective pictures with NGOs and animal lovers.

The videos and photos which are widely shared on social media platforms showed a bunch of famished and injured dogs, which the animal welfare activists alleged, died of starvation. The dogs attacked one another in absence of food and died, the clips claimed.

However, GHMC contended the claims as completely false, misleading, baseless and said they led to widespread public panic, misinformation and disturbance to public order. The Deputy Director (Veterinary), K. Chakrapani Reddy, in his complaint to the Amberper Police, pinned the blame on an outsourced employee K. Laxman, for recording selective videos and photographs of dogs that were either sick or found dead due to natural causes, and deliberately sharing them with individuals, animal volunteers and NGOs in exchange for money.

Verification of WhatsApp communications and UPI transaction records clearly revealed that Mr. Laxman was in continuous contact with several animal volunteers and had received money in exchange for sharing the said videos and photographs, the complaint stated.

In reality, the visuals pertain to dogs rescued from various locations and brought to the animal care centre for treatment, observation and shelter, and dogs that died due to natural causes despite being provided veterinary care and treatment, the complaint claimed. The dogs have been picked up from sensitive and high-risk locations such as schools, hospitals, railway stations, bus depots, and other institutional premises, strictly in compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions.

After the visuals went viral, several volunteers and NGO members have been unlawfully gathering at the animal care centre obstructing the movement of official vehicles, abusing and intimidating staff, and wilfully preventing public servants from discharging their lawful duties, thereby creating serious law and order issues, the complaint said, seeking enquiry into the matter followed by legal action against Mr. Laxman, and other persons involved. He also requested police protection and prevention of ‘unlawful’ gatherings at the animal care centre.