DLF Builders among 10 booked in molestation, animal cruelty case

New Delhi: DLF Builders, JLL security company and eight residents of a high-profile housing society here have been named in an FIR for molestation and cruelty to animals and other charges for allegedly assaulting three other residents, including two women, for feeding stray dogs, police said on Friday.

The First Information Report (FIR) against the 10 accused was registered on Tuesday in Moti Nagar Police Station on the complaint made by Pragati Khanna, an activist at People for Animals (NGO) of former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi.

"The accused persons - Tarun Arya, Manav Dhingra, Mohit, M.C.S. Kao, D.K. Malik, Madan Mohan Gupta, JLL security firm, DLF Builders, Sanjay Goel and Ghanshayam Garg - were charged with physical harassment, assault on woman, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of woman and act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention under the Indian Penal and under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act," a police officer said.

The FIR, accessed by IANS, said that the incident occurred on May 22 in the society in West Delhi's Moti Nagar area where accused Sanjay Goel and Ghanshyam Garg and their family members blocked the way of a woman resident and her husband (names withheld) and tried to tear their clothes while the couple were walking their pet dog. Seeing their dog, a stray dog followed it and the couple was feeding it.

"Ghanshayam Garg and his family members who stay there later manhandled the victims and one other woman when they tried to protect a stray dog from the accused persons who were kicking it and beating it with baton," the FIR said.

The complainant also alleged in FIR that on April 29, the two accused women residents forcefully pushed the victim and her woman friend into a mob attack inside the society. Goel and Garg touched their private parts in an inappropriate way and also threatened them with dire consequences for staying in the society with a pet dog.

The FIR also said that the Goel family and few other residents of the society "created nuisance" and entered an conspiracy to remove vaccinated and sterilized dogs from the society. They also made a Whatsapp group "Stray dogs free" and JLL security services and its staff supported the accused persons in creating this conspiracy, it added.

According to the FIR, under the Stray Dog Management Rules 2001, it is illegal for an individual, an RWA or estate management to remove or relocate dogs, while the Delhi Police Act, police have special powers to take action when an offence against animals has been committed.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates