Last week, 12 puppies, not even a month old, were thrown out from the premises, prompting PFA to lodge a complaint against the AOA secretary and others. However, the AOA says the decision was consensual.
Last week, two bitches jointly gave birth to 12 puppies on the premises of Prateek Wisteria in Sector 77 of Noida. The puppies were mercilessly thrown out — separated from their mothers even before they could be a month old.
After getting to know of the incident from certain residents, People for Animals (PFA) member Kaveri Rana Bharadwaj, a resident of Greater Noida, registered an FIR at Sector 49 police station against the AOA secretary of the society, the security agency and even the builder.
According to the complaint, the incident happened on November 19.
In response, Nisha Rai, the secretary, lodged an FIR against Bharadwaj and Pragati Khanna, who had accompanied Bharadwaj on the visit to the society, at the same police station under IPC Sections 289 [negligent conduct with respect to animals] and 506 [punishment for criminal intimidation].
Bharadwaj said, "When the residents informed me about the step taken by the AOA, I was shocked. So, I immediately spoke to the AOA secretary on the matter. She quite conveniently told me that she was just thinking about doing so because of the nuisance the puppies were creating. Later, a member of the society informed me that the puppies had already been thrown out.”
When Bharadwaj and Khanna visited the society area, they found that three of the 12 puppies were missing and the other nine were living on a vacant plot near the society.
"According to Supreme Court guidelines, no one can remove newborn animals from their homes, or separate them from their mother before two months," Bharadwaj explained.
The security guard at the gate, according to Bharadwaj, had admitted to the incident. She also provided video evidence of the conversation with the guard.
The PFA now wants the puppies and the dogs be taken back inside the society, and a search be launched for the ones missing.
Akhilesh Kumar Mudgal, AOA president, said, “On November 19, the dogs bit me on my leg, and had — in general — become a nuisance for the society.”
Lashing out against the PFA, Rai said, “It’s a fake case! Last Sunday, the AOA called a meeting, which was attended by all residents, including dog lovers. The decision was jointly taken at the meeting, as all agreed that the safety of the residents could not be compromised. We took this decision after a general agreement.”
She also complained that the dogs had bitten eight people in a week, and their medical reports were at the police station.
Padam Singh, sub-inspector of the police station, and also the investigation officer in this case, confirmed that an FIR has been lodged under Section 11 of Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act (PCA) Act 1960, and Sections 428 [mandates a punishment of two-year imprisonment or fine, or both, for killing or maiming an animal of value of Rs 10 or more] and 429 [mandates a punishment of upto five years imprisonment or fine, or both, for killing or maiming an animal of value of Rs 50 or more] of the IPC.
The initial investigation, he said, revealed that the dogs had become a menace, as they had bitten children, senior citizens and even the maids of the society. “But we can say more only after a complete investigation," he added.
