Doggone it! Readers object to canine cruelty in book

The book by Navneet Education Limited where the story appeared

A book by Navneet Education Limited is in the news over promoting cruelty to animals. A story titled 'The Unfaithful Dog,' in the book, 'It's Story Time,' that also shows an illustration of a dog being hanged, has left parents shocked. Many parents and others took to social media criticising the story and the visual. The publication house has not only accepted that the story is a mistake, but will recall all copies of the book from the market.

A tweet by actor Mohan Kapur regarding the objectionable content soon went viral on social media, with several parents responding and tweeting in support. The actor urged supporters to call the publication house to register their disappointment with a request to exclude the content. He also gave the contact details of the publication house, as well as photos of the story and the illustrations.

The illustration that shows a dog being hanged in the story

Animal lovers irked

Kapur, an animal lover, said he was shocked on receiving information about the book on WhatsApp. "It was preposterous. You are actually bringing up a new generation to think that it is okay to treat animals like that. It is shocking that punishing an animal is encouraged and to a level where a dog is shown hanged. Somebody has to do something about it and I took to social media," said Kapur. He added, "It is great that the publication accepted the issue. They have said that copies will be recalled. It is good that they responded responsibly. Children who are reading the story are of impressionable age and it is very important for content developers to remain responsible regarding what is being shown to children.'

Publication house responds

When mid-day contacted Navneet Education Limited, director Shailendra Gala shared a statement. It read, "It has come to our notice that one of the stories in one of our books has content which is not appropriate for children. Navneet is a responsible publishing house and we do not support animal cruelty of any sort.

We have published thousands of books and stories for more than 50 years, where empathy and caring are the central themes, and which attempt to inculcate a feeling of compassion among children. The story in question has unfortunately slipped through the cracks. Navneet deeply regrets publishing this story in question and is recalling all of its copies from the market immediately. In addition, we are ensuring that such content never slips through again."

It further read, "We are putting together a panel of respected academicians and counsellors to review our existing content and to frame better guidelines for what will be produced in the future… We are also working towards associating with animal care NGOs to create a series of animal care and empathy based books."

Tweet talk

Mohan Kapur @mohankapur:
'This is to inform you all that 'Navneet Products' has released a story book that promotes and justifies animal cruelty. If you feel these are not the values our children should learn, I request you to tell them to remove the said chapters'

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates