21 September,2011 07:13 AM IST | | Atul Krishan
The accused lost his cool after the canine dirtied the area in front of his shop
A 45-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for beating a street dog to death in Paschim Vihar area of West Delhi on 17 September. Fed up with the dog dirtying the area in front of his shop, the accused, Girdhari Lal, hit the dog on her head in a fit of rage.
Stray incident: Accused Girdhari Lal
Lal is a native of Rajasthan, who lives in Ambika Vihar and owns a shop in National Market in Peeragarhi. A businessman in the area, Mehar Singh, witnessed the whole scene and informed the police, who have registered FIR under Section 429 (mischief by killing or maiming cattle, of any value or any animal of the value of Rs 50) of IPC and Animal Act, on the basis of the complaint lodged by Singh.u00a0
Complainant Mehar Singh.
A senior police official said, "Lal had beaten up the dog in earlier too. He was fed up with her. On 17 September, around 7:15 pm, as soon as the dog reached near his shop, he took out a wooden stick and hit her on the head. The dog jumped five feet from the ground in pain and then collapsed."
Mehar Singh, a self-confessed animal lover, rushed to the dog's rescue. He immediately called the police and lodged a complaint against Lal. The police reached at the spot and rushed the injured dog to Sanjay Gandhi Memorail Animal hospital in Rajouri Garden. "The dog had severe head injuries, due to which she succumbed during treatment. Her postmortem has been conducted," said the police.
Speaking to the MiD-DAY, Lal said he did not intend to kill the dog. "I used to give her milk daily. I want to apologise. It was an accident." Mehar Singh, who takes care of 25 street dogs himself, said, "The dog was bowing and panting in pain. She jumped almost five feet from the ground. The accused should be punished severely."
