By Mrs. Hansa Roy
I am a
Geoscientist involved in getting stray dogs spayed/neutered and vaccinated
against rabies in many areas of Baroda, for the past eighteen years. For the
said reason, I had been visiting the Central Revenue Colony, Baroda from 2009
onwards to feed, medicate for illness/injury (should the need be), keep a tab
on the arrival of any new dog (for immediate sterilisation and vaccination against
rabies) for population stabilisation, while all the resident stray dogs have
been sterilised and vaccinated against rabies through my daily efforts and
total apathy and non-cooperation from the officials and residents. From 2010 to
2018 the Central Revenue Colony had zero stray dog multiplication – making it a
success case for Animal Birth Control. From 2018 onwards, officials who hate
stray dogs intervened and I had to file two separate police complaints on
grounds of animal cruelty, public humiliation and mental harassment caused
by the behaviour of the officials. They had tendered an apology at the Gotri
police station and yet it has never made a difference as history keeps
repeating itself. Every time there has an ignorant and arrogant official or a
resident, or a regime change, I have had to face harassment, public insults and
criminal intimidation for the selfless service I have provided to a residential
block that has only killed, removed, mercilessly run down stray dogs.
On 23 March 2023,
I was once again barred from entering the Colony, at the behest of one Mr.
Rajnish Maurya, Superintendent, Administration.
They have never learned to peacefully co-exist with the stray dogs in all these years. As power drunk Government officials, they do not fear the law and have rather taken the law into their own hands. As per the circular of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India (dated 25.6.2006), in terms of the provisions of the Section 11 of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, the Government servant who indulges in act of cruelty to animals will be making himself liable for action under the PCA Act. Besides, punishment under the Act, he would also make himself liable for action under CCS (Conduct) Rules for conduct unbecoming of a Government servant.
I have repeatedly
provided sensitization documents to different officials, including the RWA for
mass distribution for awareness creation. I am tired of explaining the same
thing repeatedly, I have met seven different officials over the years, had
eight meetings in total. They all have always digested the information and
never dissipated it.
Ever since I filed the complaint last year, every authority I have approached has ignored
the matter. In the meantime, the residents have crippled an old dog by breaking
his knees who is with me at home, they ran down another old dog to let her die
writhing in pain, removed another senior dog from the premises and a tumour
ridden dog who was being treated for malignancy, brutally assaulted another
senior dog who is currently permanently lodged at a private vet and provoked
stray dogs to retaliate in self defence, threatened compassionate citizens to
stop feeding the dogs, barred my entry that is leading to their starvation and
giving birth to unnecessary aggression in them because of which two stray dogs
were again removed today from their premises. They are on a rampage against
stray dogs.
