The incident of stray dog killing in Telangana has once again evoked strong public reactions as it was claimed that in Yacharam village of Rangareddy district, which is about 50 km from Hyderabad, around 100 dogs were poisoned to death. The event took place very close to the news of culling of more than 500 stray dogs in the state that was reported to occur in three other districts.

Animal rights campaigners dub the latest killings as the work of expert hands possibly assisted by local government. Three people including the village head, a ward member, and the village secretary, have been arrested by police. The dead dogs have not been found yet and the investigators think that the carcasses might be buried outside the village.

Based upon the memorandum from Mudavath Preethi of the Stray Animal Foundation of India, Yacharam police opened a case against unidentified perpetrators under certain parts of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act that prohibit killing or poisoning of animals collectively.

As per the complaint, the dogs disappeared on January 19. Differing accounts from village officials regarding the dogs’ fate made suspicion rise among the activists. While one story indicated the dogs were moved to another location, another one suggested they were drugged. Further inquiries with villagers allegedly revealed that poisonous injections were used, leading to the deaths.

“We are conducting a detailed investigation and trying to trace where the carcasses were disposed of,” said A Nandeshwar Reddy, Station House Officer of Yacharam police station.

Activists fear the pattern mirrors similar incidents reported recently from Kamareddy, Hanumakonda and Jagtial districts, where stray dogs were allegedly killed using lethal injections by professional operators.