Hyderabad: Jagtial district police have launched a probe after about 300 stray dog carcasses were found dumped in a pit near Pegadapally village, roughly 200 km from Hyderabad.
The incident, allegedly occurring on Thursday under orders from the village sarpanch, marks the latest in a series of mass killings of strays across Telangana.
This brings the total number of stray dogs found dead in the state this month to nearly 900, animal rights activists claim.
Based on a complaint by Preethi Mudavath of Stray Animal Foundation of India—who visited the site on Friday—police registered an FIR against the sarpanch, gram panchayat secretary, and others, a report by TOI stated.
Charges include Section 325 read with 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 11(1)(a) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, for killing and poisoning animals.
Villagers allege injections by women, bodies buried by panchayat workers
According to the report, Preethi said that villagers informed her that two women administered lethal injections to the dogs.
Gram panchayat workers then transported the bodies in tractors and buried them in a pit about 2 km from the village.
“We have registered a case and started our probe,” a Pegadapally police official confirmed.
Similar cases from across districts
At least three similar cases have surfaced in recent weeks from Kamareddy, Hanumakonda, Ranga Reddy, and now Jagtial districts. Newly elected sarpanches allegedly ordered the killings to fulfil pre-poll promises.
Reports include 300 dogs killed via injections in Hanumakonda, 200 carcasses in Kamareddy, 100 in Ranga Reddy, and 30 earlier in Jagtial. Six sarpanches have been booked in Kamareddy alone ahead of elections.
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