VELLORE: Nearly 40 dogs were alleged to be poisoned to death near Ranipet recently, Police are inquiring into the complaint, Police said. An animal welfare activist, T.B. Somanathan, had sent him a message that 40 dogs were poisoned to death and their carcasses buried on the banks of Thiruvalam river, said Vellore Collector S.A. Raman. Mr. Raman said, “I instructed the Joint Director of Animal Husbandry and also the assistant director, Animal Husbandry, Ranipet, to inquire into this matter. They have filed a complaint with the police. Police have initiated investigation in this case”. Chennai-based activist Mr. Somanathan claimed that on September 15, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi had informed him about this incident over phone. “The People for Animals had received a mail from an animal lover residing near the location where the dogs were poisoned to death,” he said. Poisonous injection The activist claimed that more than 40 stray and pet dogs were poisoned through lethal injections on the premises of a public sector company in Ranipet. He had informed the Vellore Collector and Superintendent of Police, Vellore, and the Police station about the tractor in which the carcasses were transported. Mr. Velmurugan, a veterinary doctor of the Animal Husbandry department, lodged a complaint with the SIPCOT Police station on instructions from senior officials. A police officer said, “We will complete inquiry in two days”. ]]>
