Controversial reporting by Times of India.
Dear Ms.Sukanya,
This is in context of a story filed by you in today's Times of India (Dogs Bite Maids, Woman Booked). The report is incorrect and appears to take sides without investing effort in ascertaining facts. I present them below and hope you will appreciate them as a professional journalist.
1.Respect and compassion towards all life forms is a duty enjoined upon each citizen of India by the country's Constitution and hallowed by centuries of culture, religion and ethos. Feeding animals is a humane and compassionate gesture, expected from these residents who I assume have some degree of education ; it teaches even kindergarten children the necessity of co-existence. The "five or six" dogs mentioned in your story are sterilied and vaccinated. They are peaceable animals which have been in that colony for a long time. They have not turned violent suddenly and never were. This is a bogey being created to spread panic by intolerant residents. Independent studies and collective experience besides commonsense hold that community/stray dogs, or for that matter any animal, never attacks humans unless grossly provoked.
2.The RWA and residents espoused by you face legal action. The RWA president and other residents are guilty of unlawful forced entry, physical assualt and abusive behaviour besides threat to life and property of Ms Rogers. They are also guilty of manhandling and threatening an activist who arrived in that colony in peace and conducted himself with utter civility. He was pushed out of the colony in the presence of the local police.
3.The SHO of Sadar police station who has jurisdiction over the area, refused to file a complaint of the following cognizable offences : unlawful and forced entry into private residence, physical assualt, criminal intimidation, cruelty to animals. All of these are punishable by law with specific provisio in the Indian Penal Code. At the suspected inducement of, and in collusion with the local RWA, he has registered false and fabricated cases against Ms Rogers. At no point has he bothered to even invstigate the issue and/or broker peace which is his express duty as a public servant. He can and should be charged with corruption and dereliction of duty.
The SHO and RWA president have repeatedly refused to co-operate with NGOs which are mandated by the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon to look after stray animals.
4.The alleged cases of dog bite are false and malicious. Despite repeated requests/demands, we have not seen a single person coming forth with the wounds. If so many people have been bitten, surely at least one can show alleged wounds.
It is unfortunate that such erroneous and misleading reports are filed. Instead of promoting protection and love for animals and the natural world, such reports have an opposite effect.
Sincerely,
Amit Chaudhery
President
People For Animals (Gurgaon)
98.1170.3501