GURUGRAM: A couple and their three-year-old daughter were confined to their car for over four hours on Monday evening on the compound of their housing society in the Vatika Next township as a large crowd — not a random mob but all fellow residents — allegedly heckled and booed them, shouted slogans, deflated the car’s tyres, and wouldn’t let them out till a large police contingent arrived and threatened criminal charges.
The family became the target of this unprecedented hostility because of animosity against them for feeding stray dogs, a touchy subject that divides opinion not just in this condominium — Gurugram 21 in Sector 83 —but in neighourhoods, townships and gated societies across the country. The RWA alleged there was 22 cases of dog bite at the condominium in the last 12 months and four in two days before the family was gheraoed.
Sumit Singla, Kirti and the toddler could only step out of their car around midnight after police formed a cordon to give them safe passage to their flat at Gurugram 21 in Sector 83. “They kept shouting slogans like,’Sumit Singla hai hai. Kutte to bahar nikalo’,” a shaken Kirti told TOI on Tuesday, adding she also received rape and death threats from the crowd.
Kirti said they were returning home had begun feeding a dog when their car was intercepted by another resident, who called others. “Around 6.30pm, while we were feeding the dog at the assigned feeding spot for community dogs in our society, our vehicle was intercepted to prevent us from getting to our residence. The man was subsequently joined by his wife and a group of violent and abusive men and women, all residents of the society. They attacked us and one of the women even tried to force my daughter from my arms. They tried to break into our car by banging on the window and doors. When we tried to escape, they made their children deflate our car tyres,” said Kirti.
As the crowd became bigger and more restive, two policemen from the Sector 84 police chowki reached the condominium around 7pm. “But instead of helping us, the cops took the side of the perpetrators and asked me and my husband to seek their forgiveness by touching their feet if we want to save ourselves,” Kirti alleged.
The child was traumatised and wailed. But with the crowd refusing to relent, more policemen arrived. A little after 9pm, a woman constable fetched a bottle of water for the kid. “All this while, I was accused of performing black magic and threatened with rape and death if I didn’t stop feeding the stray dogs,” Kirti said. After multiple calls to senior police officials, the ACP, SHO and a big police contingent reached the spot and rescued the family around 11pm.
Ram Mehar, the RWA president of Gurugram 21, said the “facts” were different from what was being presented. “In the last one year, 22 dog bite issues have been reported, and in the last two days, four people have been bitten. On Monday, the same dog bit a child. The child’s mother objected when the Singla family was feeding the dog. This led to an argument and Singla’s wife pushed the lady and she fell to the ground. Soon, other women in the society came down and surrounded the Singla family, demanding an apology,” said Mehar, adding the Singla family went back into their car and began recording a video “to present a picture that they had been held hostage”.
Pradeep Rahi, a resident of the society, said there was a designated area for feeding dogs but the Singla family fed dogs wherever they wanted. “Children have stopped going to parks, fearing dogs. The family was requested multiple times to not feed dogs inside the society or near the kids’ play area, but they threaten people with cases of animal cruelty,” said Rahi.
People for Animals trustee Gauri Maulekhi said of late, similar incidents of intolerance from upscale societies were being frequently reported. “There is a law laid down for sterilisation of dogs, and there is no law to stop people from looking after street dogs. Street dogs are symptoms. The problem is the dog population — killing is not a solution, they need to be sterilised. The MCG has no proper animal birth-control centre. There is also a need to designate feeding areas and give cards to people who are feeding street animals,” said Maulekhi.
DCP (Manesar) Varun Singla said the family was rescued and there was no violence and no one had any injury. “The residents had become aggressive and they did allow the family to go to their house,” said the DCP, adding police will take appropriate action after registering an FIR.
Animal Welfare Board of India secretary Sujit Dutta said stray dogs are protected under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and can’t be removed from a housing society.