10 July,2014 07:56 AM IST | | Shirish Vaktania
Activist claims this is the first time a government employee has been held for killing an animal
The police have arrested a BEST bus driver for running over a stray dog while it was crossing the road. Some alert pedestrians managed to stop the bus and hand over the driver to an NGO.
Witnesses said Arjun Kharat had seen the dog and could have avoided running over it, but chose not to
Around 7.30 pm on Thursday, the accused, Arjun Kharat, was driving a BEST route number 240 bus headed towards Dahisar station. As the bus reached New Link Road near McDonald's, Kharat took a turn at high speed and ran over the black-coloured dog
After stopping the bus, a local called activist Salim Charania of Peace for Animals Welfare Association (PAWA), who registered a complaint against Kharat at MHB Colony police station in Borivli. Witnesses in this case told the police that the bus was being driven at high speeds despite being nearly empty.
They said Kharat was in a hurry and had seen the dog before the accident took place and could have saved it, but chose not to. Charania said, "When locals informed me about the incident, I reached the spot in 15 minutes and took the dog to a hospital, but it was declared dead. This is the first time a government employee has been arrested for killing an animal, which proves that everyone is equal in the eyes of the law."
Sub-Inspector Avinash Pawar, of the MHB Colony police station in Borivli, said, "We have registered a case against Kharat under Sections 279 (rash driving) and 428 (mischief by killing or maiming animal) of the IPC. He was released on bail."
