What you can do to fight cruelty

Awareness needed

Mum mourns her babies after woman bashes 15-day-old puppies against boulder to ‘teach the dog a lesson’The intermittent wails of four-year-old Ammu, a female stray dog that grew up among the residents of Lane No. 3, Krishnanagar, off Tumkur Road, have cast a pall of gloom over this locality of mostly ex-servicemen. Residents are haunted by the memory of the dog digging her 15-day-old puppies out of their graves and trying to nurse them.On March 15, her litter of eight was mercilessly flung onto the boulders, allegedly by Ponnamma, the wife of an ex-honorary flight lieutenant, a resident of this Jallahalli West neighbourhood. This she did reportedly to “teach the dog a lesson”, who had dared to have puppies in a drain under her gate.While seven of the puppies died the same day, one that survived the brutality succumbed the next. The outraged residents filed a complaint with Cupa (Compassion Unlimited Plus Action) on March 17, and the same day, the NGO registered a complaint against Ponnamma with the Peenya police.When Bangalore Mirror reached her doorstep to enquire about the incident, she refused to comment.The ghastly incident has outraged the neighbourhood which has always been compassionate toward its stay dogs. It isn’t uncommon here to spot a pet dog sharing a meal with a stray — such is the residents’ love for their animals.Five days since the incident, Ammu still wanders around the site where her puppies are buried.The police have seized crucial footage from a CCTV camera near Ponnamma’s house. The Peenya police have registered a case under Section 93 of the Karnataka Police Act (punishment for cruelty to animals) and Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and IPC Section 429. If proved guilty, she could end up in prison for up to five years. “Cupa has lodged a complaint, but justice is still a long way off for this mother,” said, Suparna B Ganguly, honorary secretary at the NGO.The heinous act had come to light after the residents took up the case on March 15 with Cupa.The complaint explained how “a woman in our street” flung eight pups across the road on to an empty site opposite to her house, killing them all. The impact was such that “some of the pups’ intestines were out”. The residents wrote that they were distressed by the sight of the mother that wouldn’t stop wailing and trying to “wake them up, running around us asking for help, trying to show us.”Residents explained how their request had gone in vain to spare Ammu, who had littered 15 days ago in a gutter, beneath the entry gate of Ponnamma’s house.“My neighbour and I had an argument with the woman. We told her what she did was a grave sin and so cruel. The puppies did no harm to her, and she had no right to kill them in front of the mother,” the complaint said.When the residents protested the act, Ponnamma went on to say that she was doing this to teach the dog a lesson.“When we asked her how she could kill innocent puppies, and that she had no right to do that, she said she wanted to teach the mother a lesson so that she doesn’t litter or come near her house again,” an outraged resident told Bangalore Mirror, clearly unable to accept the logic.What’s worse is that Ponnamma is remorseless. “When we asked her about it, she just said, achcha nahi laga, fek diya (didn’t like it, threw it),” said a resident.“The accused was arrested and released on bail. We have procured CCTV footage and are putting together evidence. The investigation is on and the chargesheet will be submitted,” said B Aiyanna Redddy, police inspector, Peenya, told Bangalore Mirror.* The accused is counselled twice by AWBI. If the cruelty continues, the animal is taken away, foster homes are identified, and it is given up for adoption Phone: 044-24571024, 24571025 Fax: 044-24571016 E-mail: awbi@md3.vsnl.net.in / animalwelfareboard@gmail.com KB Harish, AWBI, AWO: 9066950250Phone: +91 80 22947317* File a complaint under various sections: Karnataka Police Act (Punishment For Cruelty to Animals), Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, and IPC Sections“We want her arrested and penalised. We have dealt with cases in which dogs have been stabbed, beaten and burnt to death. This is one of those cases,” said KB Harish, Cupa cruelty inspector and honorary animal welfare officer of the AWBI (Animal Welfare Board of India), who lodged the complaint.* It’s a cruel act. People are not aware of the laws. Those who are aware, neglect them. When animals are not cared for, authorities must wake up and create awareness. Punishment in such cases will be a major deterrent. Youngsters should be made aware of and roped in for this—* Cupa has lodged a complaint, but justice is still a long way off for this mother