14 February,2024 06:53 AM IST | Mumbai | Faisal Tandel
The video went viral on social media, The vet staff member manhandles and punches the dog
The Chitalsar Manpada police in Thane have caught two men and initiated an investigation into a case involving the severe beating of a pet dog at a local clinic. Animal activists are urging the police to file an FIR, rather than a non-cognisable offence, and to take firm action against the men.
The incident came to light after a video of the dog being beaten went viral on social media, prompting animal activists nationwide to notify BMC officials and the police, urging stringent measures. Shama Dilip Shirodkar, a veterinary officer at Thane Municipal Corporation, reported that on Tuesday, she received a video from Indranil Manik Roy, an Animal Welfare officer in Thane district.
The clip showed a man assaulting a pet dog. Shirodkar verified the video and discovered it originated from Vetic Pet Clinic in Manpada, Thane. Along with her colleagues, she arrived at the clinic around 1 pm. The police, too, had arrived at the Vetic Pet Clinic to investigate the incident. "Both accused were taken into custody," said a police officer.
The Vetic pet clinic in Thane
The accused seen in the video are identified as Mayur Michael Adhav 19, a resident of Matunga and Prashant Gaikwad 20, a resident of Murbad. "One of them engaged in beating the pet dog, while the other recorded the incident. We are currently in the process of filing a complaint and conducting a thorough investigation. The motive behind the beating remains unclear at this point," stated Amar Singh Jadhav, deputy commissioner of police, Zone 5, Thane.
Nilesh Bhanage, the founder of PAWS, has submitted a complaint letter to various departments, including Maharashtra Police, Thane Police, Maharashtra Animal Welfare Board, Thane society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Thane District Officer, and Thane Health Officer. The letter called for immediate action on the matter.
"I've written a letter urging strict action in this matter. I specifically advised the police to register a case, as NCs often result in the release of the accused. The pet clinic in Thane is also under scrutiny, and I've called for an investigation into how they hired an employee involved in such cruelty," said Bhanage.
Shakuntala Majumdar, president, Community for the Protection and Care of Animals, Thane, who has been following the case, said, "As soon as we received the video that went viral, we visited the clinic to confirm that the video did indeed originate from there. We then contacted the police from Chitalsar Police Station who very promptly arrived on the spot. "They detained both perpetrators and lodged an NC," said Majumdar, stating that the pet was of a Chow Chow breed.
Majumdar said, "When we asked the accused, Mayur, why he assaulted the pet he said the pet was aggressive and while he was muzzling the dog, it bit him. However, when we asked him to show the bite marks, he said the incident had occurred on February 7 so the injuries had healed. We strongly suspect the act was to seek publicity on social media which is the trend nowadays. Such people upload negative videos without thinking of the impact. But what is more painful is that our laws allow only an NC for such cases, which attracts next to nothing penalties. How do we give justice to innocent animals when the laws don't support us? Amendment to the PCA Act is imperative," Majumdar said.
Varun Seth, a chartered accountant with a multi-national company, who is the owner of the dog, Tofu said, "I learned of the incident only after I received a call from some activist. I usually take my pet to other clinics, but while passing in area I saw that they offered a good environment for their services. On February 7, I took Tofu to the clinic at 3 pm. They asked me to leave as the dog will be more familiar to me and it will delay the process. I returned at 7.30 pm to take him back. Tofu did not seem as happy as he was after services at other clinics and did not eat for two days. I thought it could be because our house was crowded with people because of my wedding and he was just anxious. But things became clear after I saw the video. How can anyone do this? I have asked the clinic to send me CCTV footage of all the time Tofu spent there. I will approach the police after my wedding," added Seth stating that I am shocked that such video was made for social media to share and get hits.
A Vetic spokesperson said, "This is a deeply disturbing incident involving a pet and two of our groomers. As pet parents and animal lovers, this is shocking and completely unacceptable to us. As a first step, we have immediately terminated the services of both men and logged a formal investigation into this. We are also working alongside the authorities and have initiated police action in this matter. We understand the trust you place in us when you choose Vetic for your fur baby, and we are committed to upholding that trust with the highest standards of compassion and professionalism."
