27 October,2016 05:44 PM IST | | Silky Sharma
Accused who is star of video where he is seen running over whimpering dog, says he feels guilty about the misdeed he caused unintentionally; he is out on bail
Bandiya's spinal cord has been fractured since the incident
It has been close to a week since Saurabh Dukhande became a social media sensation after being caught on camera running over a stray dog named Bandiya. After the Facebook post calling out Dukhande went viral, he was arrested yesterday, but let out on bail.
Saurabh Dukhande
Police says
"The incident took place on October 19 at 5.27 pm when the accused, a resident of Prerna Society in Om Nagar in Vasai West drove his car over a stray dog resting outside the gate of the society. We took serious note of the incident and registered a case under section 429 of the Indian Penal Code and under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. On Wednesday morning, we arrested the accused and [later] he was released on bail," said inspector Raju Tambe from Manikpur police station.
Following the incident, CCTV footage of the entire episode went viral on social media, generating anger among the animal welfare activists, who were demanding strict action against Dukhande. While the cops did arrest him, he was let out on bail the same day.
Car didn't stop
"When the accident occurred, I was feeding other street dogs in our area and suddenly, I saw Bandiya lying severely injured on the road, yelping in pain. I ran behind car that crushed him but it didn't stop," said Nanda Mahadik, a resident of Om Nagar, who rushed Bandiya to the nearest clinic after the incident.
"We rushed him to the nearest clinic for X-ray, where we found that his spinal cord is fractured. The dog has been staying in our society for more than 10 years and we cannot leave him to die. The animal lovers in our society are now looking after him," she added.
Mahadik had registered the case against Saurabh and even went to his workplace demanding that he should be sacked for this brutal act. "We registered a case against Dukhande in Manikpur police station and we also spoke to the employer who requested us to forgive him and take the case back."
Assaulter feels guilty
When Mahadik confronted Dukhande, he was unapologetic about his brutality. "First, Dukhande made excuses to avoid the situation but it after we registered a case against him and I spoke to his employer, he is being sorry," said Mahadik. Speaking to mid-day, Saurabh said he feels guilty about his misdeed, which was not intentional. He also showed interest in adopting Bandiya.
"Bandiya has been residing near our home since childhood and some of the residents are very affectionate towards him. After the accident, he is suffering from a lot of pain. It is difficult feed him and give medication but we are trying our best," said Sachin Kadam, who is taking care of Bandiya at his home after the incident.
