Two people and their pet dog suffered serious injuries when a dispute between neighbours triggered an all-out assault on a street in Hyderabad’s Rahmatnagar. CCTV footage of the incident shows a group of men attacking a man and his dog with sticks. The man’s family members, who came to his rescue, were attacked too.
Police have registered a case under sections of Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and five people have been arrested.
According to reports, Tuesday’s attack followed an altercation between the families last week. Last Wednesday, Madhu and his relatives were out with their Siberian Husky. Local police said Dhanunjay and his family members alleged that the dog attacked them. This sparked an altercation and both families filed police complaints.
On Tuesday evening, Madhu’s brother Srinath was walking the dog outside his home. Around this time, Dhanunjay and two others walked by. The CCTV footage shows Srinath holding the dog on a leash as the three men walk by. At one point, the dog approaches one of the men and he is seen making a gesture. Moments later, two men with sticks run towards Srinath and start hitting him. The men appear to be with Dhanunjay, and all five join the assault. Srinath falls to the ground as the attackers surround him and rain blows. Two women, identified as Srinath’s family members, come to his rescue, but the attack continues.
As one of the women tries to shield Srinath from the blows, the attackers keep hitting them with their sticks. At one point, an attacker runs menacingly towards the dog, but then turns and starts hitting Srinath. The footage shows shocked local residents gathering at one end of the alley. Soon, many of them intervene and try to break up the assault. Srinath’s dog is seen running to their home, but an attacker spots it. Right behind the entry gate, the attacker hits the dog hard, and it collapses on the ground. As local residents intervene, the attackers are seen leaving the spot.
Srinath and a family member have suffered injuries and had to be rushed to hospital, reports have said. The dog was seen writhing in pain in another video shot at a pet clinic.
