Culling street dogs: Panchayat members not to get state aid

Thiruvananthapuram: The state government has declined to aid four panchayat members who got summons from the Supreme Court for allegedly culling street dogs at Varkala after an elderly man in their locality was mauled to death. The Congress workers, including Chirayankeezhu block panchayat member Manju Pradeep, Kizhuvillam panchayat members A.S. Sreekantan and Biju Kumar and Shahjahan, were among those who received the summons. They said that the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee had offered to provide legal aid and entrusted former standing council member Ramesh Babu with the task.

Also Rs 50,000 will be released for the expense. Philanthropist and industrialist Kochouseph Chittilapilly also has promised to fund their travel to the national capital. The case was filed by Nikita Anand of Haryana through her counsel Prashant Bhusan. The government has cited legal issues in not helping those accused in such an act.

Meanwhile, Attingal municipality chairperson M. Pradeep, who also received the summons, will independently approach the Supreme Court and apprise that he had no involvement in the case. They will appear before the court on July 8. The culling allegedly happened soon after stray dogs mauled and partially ate an 85-year-old man at Mamom on April 8. The police said that the man collapsed and lay in the field dehydrated for hours before being attacked by dogs.