Cops nab 8 for burning puppies alive

​Hyderabad: The city police on Thursday arrested eight minor boys for allegedly burning three puppies alive at a graveyard in Musheerabad.

The boys, aged between 10 and 17, were taken into custody following a complaint by an animal rights’ activist after the video of their horrifying act went viral on social media.

“Eight boys are apprehended in connection with the incident and all of them have been produced before a Juvenile Justice Board (JJB),” the Musheerabad police said. The minors went to play cricket in the graveyard, but they were irritated by the barking of puppies and they set them ablaze, the cops added.

Rights activists call for psychiatric evaluation of accused
Meanwhile, the animal rights’ activists called for psychiatric evaluation of eight juveniles arrested in the incident. Humane Society International (HSI India) Managing Director N G Jayasimha said a psychiatric evaluation should be carried out as the violence towards animals could be an indicator of other abuses and potential serious anti-social behavior in adulthood, including criminal offences and violence towards women and children.

“As an animal welfare advocate and as a parent, it breaks my heart to see the suffering the animals have gone through and the possible violent history that the youngsters must have had to deal by resorting to this kind of action,” he said.

Jayasimha hoped the Juvenile Justice Board takes swift and stern action for this inexplicable violence against puppies.

The HSI MD further said, “However, in most cases, the accused are able to get away by paying a meagre fine of Rs 50, the maximum penalty prescribed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.”

It is a tragedy that animal cruelty is not taken as seriously as it should be and the penalty for killing an animal is less than hiring an auto rickshaw to the court to attend the trial. “It is the time we study and understand the importance of violent behaviour towards animals in children and the domino effect it could have in other forms of violence,” it added.

Another inhumane act
A day after the horrific incident of burning puppies alive came to light; another video of a man shooting dogs with an air gun went viral on social media.

In the video, a man was seen shooting two dogs with an air gun, in which one dog escaped, while another died instantly.

The video went viral on Wednesday, and however no case was booked into the matter yet.