The Kerala police have arrested a man named Yusuf in Ernakulam district for tying a dog to his car and dragging it for miles. The incident took place near Paravur at 11 o’s clock on Friday morning.
As per reports, Yusuf committed the barbaric act of animal cruelty as the dog was ‘creating’ problems along with other strays in his area. He decided to tie the animal to his car and drag it for miles, before abandoning it in the wild. However, the accused was caught red-handed on tape in the act by a passerby named Akhil.
In the video footage that has now gone viral on social media, the dog was seen initially keeping up with the pace of the moving car. However, soon, the canine became exhausted and lay down while it continued being dragged against the road by Yusuf’s car. When Akhil intervened, the accused remained adamant and asked, “What is your problem if the dog dies?” After being caught off guard, Yusuf left the dog on the street.
After the pregnant Elephant episode, now a dog was tied to a car and dragged for 2 Kilometres by YUSUF in KERALA
— Ninda Turtle (@NindaTurtles) December 12, 2020
Is this what peak literacy looks like?pic.twitter.com/C0mwH8QFWS
While speaking about the incident, the eye witness recounted, “It was a horrific scene. A rope was tied around the neck of the dog and it was being brutally dragged along the road.” He informed the animal rights organisation DAYA about the incident. The organisation filed a police complaint against Yusuf and he was arrested.
The cops have booked the accused under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 428 (Mischief by killing/maiming animal), 429 (Mischief by killing/maiming cattle) and Section 11(1) in The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Meanwhile, the dog was taken to a government-run veterinary facility for further treatment.
Elephant killed in Kerala
In June this year, the case of a pregnant elephant from Palakkad, Kerala dying after consuming jaggery coated explosive came to the fore and led to widespread outrage. The picture, of the Elephant standing calmly in the water while she died, bit by bit, due to the explosives going off in her mouth was heart-wrenching. The initial outrage also revolved around whether this was a deliberate act to torture the elephant or was there more at play in this case.
One accused, P Wilson, who is an employee of an estate that cultivates cash crops and spices, was arrested. Two other suspects, Abdul Kareem and son Riyasudheen, owners of the estate where Wilson worked were said to be absconding. The accused reportedly said to the interrogators that they had set up a trap of fruit filled with crackers to scare wild boars, which destroy their farms often. Evidently, it is common to practise in Kerala to use jaggery-coated explosives or explosives stuffed in fruits to “scare away” wild boars who enter farms and destroy crops.