Telangana Panchayat Winners Fulfill Election Vows with Stray Dog Culling
Recent mass killings of dogs in Warangal, Kamareddy, and Jagtial districts have highlighted a disturbing trend in Telangana. Many candidates in the just-concluded panchayat elections promised to tackle the problem of stray dogs attacking people. Now, after winning their seats, some of these newly elected sarpanches are taking drastic action.
Lethal Injections and Forest Relocations
Some sarpanches have hired men to administer lethal injections to dogs. Others have employed catchers to trap the animals and abandon them in remote forest areas. Both groups are rushing to show villagers they will keep their word. They aim to end the menace of monkeys destroying crops and dogs roaming freely in villages.
"About 150 dogs were killed in our village by administering injections about 15 days back," said a villager from Nalgonda who requested anonymity. He explained that the newly-elected sarpanch ordered the killings because villagers were deeply troubled by the dogs. The village regularly witnessed dog-bite cases and injuries from dogs chasing people on motorcycles.
He added, "Most villages in Telangana are facing this issue and saw similar promises during panchayat elections."
Widespread Practice Across Villages
In Bonakal and Beeravelli villages of Khammam district, hundreds of dogs were allegedly picked up by catchers and left in forest areas. "This is being done by local sarpanches. Some 500 dogs in Bonakal and 300 in Beeravelli were relocated to forest areas in the past week. Catchers have been hired by sarpanches in nearby villages as well," stated Deepika Pingeli, an animal rights activist.
Pingeli called at least eight sarpanches after reports of mass killings emerged. All of them confessed they were "taking care of the issue" because it was their election promise.
Sarpanches Defend Their Actions
A sarpanch from Bonakal mandal revealed he was also in talks with a catcher. However, he decided to put the plan on hold temporarily because the issue became sensitive. "Not just me, nearby sarpanch candidates from about 10 villages promised to resolve the dog menace. We are doing whatever we can to fulfil our promise," the senior citizen said.
The situation underscores how election pledges in rural Telangana are translating into harsh measures against stray animals. Villagers demand safety, but the methods raise serious ethical and legal questions. The culling and relocation efforts continue as sarpanches strive to demonstrate their commitment to voters.
