HANUMAKONDA: Police have registered cases against nine people, including the sarpanches of Shayampet and Arepally villages in Hanumakonda district, for allegedly killing about 300 stray dogs by administering lethal injections.
The matter came to light on Sunday after police and veterinary officials visited the villages and conducted postmortems on buried carcasses.
Parkal ACP Satishbabu said the complaint was filed by A Goutham of the Stray Animal Foundation of India, an NGO based in Karimnagar. The complaint alleged that two hired individuals administered lethal injections to hundreds of stray dogs between January 6 and 8 within the gram panchayat limits of Shayampet and Arepally.
The complainant sought strict action against those responsible and urged the government to implement humane measures such as animal birth control, sterilisation, and vaccination to manage the stray dog population.
However, sources said village elders questioned the basis of the complaint, claiming the action was taken in response to public pressure during sarpanch elections, as the growing stray dog population had become a nuisance.
Based on the complaint, police booked cases against the two sarpanches and their husbands, a deputy sarpanch, two village secretaries, and two daily-wage labourers under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
