india

Updated: Sep 18, 2019 10:50 IST

The Indian Veterinary Association has written to Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao asking him to withdraw cases lodged against two veterinary practitioners after the CM’s dog died in Hyderabad last week.

A case was lodged with Banjara Hills police station by the dog handler against Dr Ranjit and the in charge of a private veterinary clinic, where the dog was treated before it died, under section 429 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (Mischief by killing or maiming cattle, etc, of any value or any animal of the value of Rs 50) and Section 11 (4) of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act on Saturday, according to Hyderabad police.

Association president Dr UC Sharma, who is from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, said, “Filing of the FIR has sent alarm waves among about 67,000 veterinary practitioners across the country and has set a wrong precedent as there is Veterinary Council of lndia (Standard of Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Code of Ethics, for Veterinary Practitioners) Regulations, 1992, to regulate the veterinary practices and take punitive against the practitioners in case of any malpractices.”

Appreciating the CM’s love for pet dogs, Sharma said in the letter dated September 16 : “Your love and affection towards animals is very well reflected by the fact that your good self is continuously keeping around 10 pets, very well nurtured and managed. This is further evident from the fact that you ventured to maintain Siberian husky breed of dog in the environment of TS, which many of pet lovers might not have dared and even experts might not have recommended on account of drastic difference between its native and Indian conditions.”

The letter also questions the CM’s decision to file the FIR against two RVPs (registered veterinary practitioners) saying they put all their knowledge, sincere efforts and professional wisdom to treat the pet and had no intention to kill the animal.

“This might be the first ever example of implicating a treating Vet under this section (429 of the IPC, which is for mischievously harming and / or killing an animal) of the lPC. We fail to understand that how a mischief by a vet towards a patient brought for treatment can be there to cause injury and death of his patient and provable with what circumstantial evidences and post mortem findings, when the owner has willfully brought the animal for treatment to the Vet.”

While chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s chief public relations officer Jwala Narasimha Rao claimed ignorance about the letter written by Indian Veterinary Association, the CM’s principal secretary S Narsinga Rao did not respond to the calls.

However, Banjara Hills sub-inspector of police, P Dali Naidu, said there was no further progress in the investigation and no arrests have been made. He also said there was no communication from officials at Pragathi Bhavan, the chief minister’s official bungalow.