In a horrific incident, a renowned plastic surgeon of a Rajasthan government hospital has been booked for allegedly tying a stray dog to his car and dragging it along the road here, police said. In a video, which has gone viral, the dog could be seen struggling to match the pace of the vehicle.
According to a statement by a caretaker at Dog Home Foundation, the dog suffered a fracture on one leg and injuries on the other. It also sustained bruises on the neck.
Shastri Nagar SHO Jogendra Singh said a case has been registered against Dr Rajneesh Galwa under Section 428 (mischief by killing or maiming animal) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 11 (treating animals cruelly) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals act.
Calls to Galwa did not elicit any response. Principal and Controller of S N Medical College Dr Dilip Kachawaha said a show cause notice has been issued to Galwa seeking his reply within 24 hours.
According to the purported video, while Galwa drove the car, some commuters filmed his act and also rescued the dog after getting his vehicle stopped.
The caretaker of the shelter home alleged that police initially were reluctant to cooperate.
"Police unnecessarily took the ambulance to the police station and kept it there for over an hour despite our request to release it so that the injured dog is treated. The police acted under the influence of the doctor and an FIR was lodged only after two hours," he alleged.
While the exact instances of animal cruelty in the country remain unknown, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar had in 2016 said that over 24,000 cases of cruelty to animals have been reported in the past three years. Meanwhile, first medical responders to animal cruelty and animal rights activists complain of lack of proper infrastructure for handling pet emergencies or even empathy from general public.
(With inputs from PTI)
