Thiruvananthapuram: A retired professor in Angadippuram panchayat in Malappuram, Dr P Geetha, has written to the chief minister, alleging that an Indian Pariah pup she was taking care of was killed. The dog was found dead in her courtyard on Sunday morning. The broken forelimb and bulging eyes suggest that it could have been hit on its head, she says in her letter. Animal activists fear that this could be yet another incident of premeditated killing of Indian Pariah dogs, especially as lately, some of the local bodies have been culling dogs in huge numbers.
Though Ms Geetha has not named any individual as an accused in the complaint, she says that on October 5, three dog catchers trespassed into their compound and some residents protested when they were asked to leave. The police inquired into the incident says the local body representatives had refused that they sent any catchers.
This could not be categorised as a stray dog as the dog was vaccinated and being fed by the former Malayalam professor at SNGS College, Pattambi. She says it was being brought up as a community dog, not confined to a kennel. She has three domesticated dogs. An FIR has been registered at Perinthalmanna Police Station, and the post-mortem report is awaited. “The initial examination reveals that its skull was broken. The vet says the dog could have been run over by a vehicle,” Perinthalmanna SI Joby Thomas said.
