Police book Sena (UBT) leader after protesters release puppies on civic chief’s table

Nashik, Sep 17 (PTI) Police have registered a case against a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and others after they barged into a municipal official’s chamber in Maharashtra’s Nashik district and released two puppies from sacks onto his desk to protest against the growing stray dog menace, officials said.

An official told PTI from Niphad police station that a case was registered against Vikram Randhave and his associates for obstructing a public servant in the discharge of his official duty, along with a case regarding animal cruelty as the youth leader had brought the puppies in sacks.

According to the police, Randhave, a district youth wing functionary, led a group of Yuva Sena (UBT) activists into the office of Dheeraj Bhamre, Chief Officer of the Niphad Nagar Panchayat.

A video of the incident, which has gone viral on social media, shows Randhave pulling the two puppies out of sacks and placing them directly on the stunned official’s desk.

“We have been trying to highlight the stray dog menace to you for the last six months, but you ignored our pleas,” Randhave is heard telling Bhamre in the video. It was unclear whether Randhave’s party supported his protest.

The chief officer informed the protesters that the civic body had already issued work tenders to address the issue, but the assurance failed to cool down Randhave, who warned of further demonstrations, saying, “If you fail to act, we will bring more dogs to your office next time, along with children and women affected by the problem.” Randhave also placed a garland made of currency notes on the official’s desk to register his protest against the civic administration’s alleged inaction.

He claimed that over 400 stray dogs roam within the Nagar Panchayat limits and that more than 100 residents suffer dog bites every month, posing a severe threat to children, senior citizens, and motorists, particularly during the ongoing Ganesh festival.

No arrests have been made so far, the police official said. PTI COR NR VT SKL KRK

This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.