Master and family gone, 2 of Atiq Ahmed's dogs starve to death in Prayagraj

PRAYAGRAJ: If jailed UP gangster Atiq Ahmed can't have weeks, months and even years of freedom, his dogs canhardly have their day.
Two of Atiq's two dogs have died due to alleged starvation at his ancestral Prayagraj home in the past two days after his family, which lived in another house nearby and cared for the pets, became untraceable since the February 24 murder of Umesh Pal. Umesh was a key witness in the 2005 killing of a BSP MLA, Raju Pal.
One of the dogs died Friday and another Saturday. The condition of the remaining three is also said to be poor due to lack of food, water and proper care. All pets are of Great Dane breed.
After photos of one of the dead dogs went viral on social media, some animal rights activists demanded the pets be taken care of as they have nothing to do with the misdeeds of their owners.
Since then, the district administration has sent a team of vets to tend to the three dogs. The animal welfare department of the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation has started taking care of them.
Atiq had a passion for superior-breed dogs and the twowere kept in an enclosure on the lawns of his house in Chakia locality of the city. "A team of two government vets has checked the remaining dogs and treatment has begun. We have started taking care of them and will shift them to a proper place after considering all legal aspects," PMC animal welfare officer Vijay Amrit Raj told TOI.