A botched sterilisation operation by an NGO in Bengaluru resulted in the tragic death of a stray dog, prompting the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to suspend the contract temporarily. A case of animal cruelty has also been registered by the police.
The BBMP Special Commissioner (Health) directed ASRA, the NGO, to halt the animal birth control (ABC) programme in Mahadevapura, RR Nagar, and Yelahanka zones until further notice. It was revealed that the NGO had been conducting the programme without the mandatory project recognition certificate from the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI).
An FIR was filed against a worker of ASRA at the HAL police station on June 7, following a complaint by Saroja Dileepan. The complaint detailed the distressing incident involving the death of Lakshmi, a healthy female dog, after a sterilisation procedure.
The negligence of the NGO, coupled with procedural lapses, has sparked outrage among animal welfare activists. HAL police have initiated a case under relevant sections of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and IPC, pending the autopsy report.
The incident underscores the urgent need for stringent regulations and oversight in animal welfare programmes to prevent such tragedies.