Ghaziabad: A resident of Rishabh Cloud 9 in Indirapuram was allegedly abused, slapped and punched by a group of fellow residents, who objected to him taking photos of a dog-catching team that was in the society to pick up a stray.Based on a complaint from Subhankar Paul, a media professional, an FIR was registered at Indirapuram police station on Sunday under sections 191 (rioting), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 324(4) (mischief causing damage) and 131 (assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation) of BNS. Suryabali Maurya, ACP of Indirapuram, said investigation is on and no one has yet been named in the FIR.Paul told TOI he took his dog for a walk around 11 am on Saturday and found exits of the society clubhouse blocked by a corporation van. Several residents had gathered to voice their opinions. Paul said he sought clarity about the van’s presence, spoke with a corporation representative and took his consent to take pictures of the dog-catching team because he wanted to ensure rules were being followed.“But my actions drew the ire of some residents, who called me a ‘dog lover’, as if it was a bad thing, and an ‘agent of Maneka Gandhi’,” he said. A group of residents allegedly confronted Paul, accusing him of taking “inappropriate photos” and trying to snatch his phone. Paul said he showed them the images he had taken, but this prompted a physical assault from the group.“I was grabbed by 4-5 people from behind who twisted my arms and neck and kept hitting me on my head and neck. They lifted me and dragged me and pinned me against a car, where punches and kicks kept landing on me. Thankfully, a neighbour intervened, pulling me to safety while ensuring the situation did not spiral further out of control,” said Paul.Paul, who owns a house in the society and lives there with his wife, said the incident made him apprehensive about safety. “It has made me fear for my own life. I have not been able to stop thinking about me and my family’s safety because of the fear of further unprovoked attacks,” he said. He lodged a police complaint on Saturday evening.Cloud 9 AOA president Vijay Gupta said he was out at the time of the incident. Hemant Uppal, an AOA member, said there was an argument over community dogs. “While the corporation van took two community dogs and later released them, there was an argument and a possible skirmish when a resident tried to make videos of the incident,” said Uppal, who too wasn’t present at the spot.Animal rights activist Ambika Shukla, who has been campaigning for better awareness and enforcement of animal birth control (ABC) rules, said the incident highlights a growing trend of “gundagardi” (hooliganism) and stemmed from lack of proper communication channels that local administrations should build to protect those who feed dogs and treat them humanely and stand up to any form of cruelty.“Municipalities should send staff who are equipped to handle such a situation. In fact, municipalities should inform a society in advance that they are coming to observe aggressive dogs and if the situation goes out of hand, they should file police cases. This is a complete breakdown of the law and order. It’s extremely dangerous and needs to be quelled by sensible and systematic administration – be it the district magistrate, the GMC, or the deputy registrar of societies,” said Shukla.Last month, Gaur City 2 resident Bhavna Kapoor, who feeds and takes care of community dogs, was chased and beaten with sticks by a fellow resident, leaving her with multiple finger fractures. The assailant, Deepak Chauhan, was arrested. In the Cloud 9 incident, no arrest has yet been made.A corporation official said the team was responding to a complaint about an aggressive community dog in the society. “We were told that it attacked residents and they suffered injuries, so our team reached the spot. Under UP Animal Birth Control Rules 2023, any suspicion that a community dog is aggressive requires it to be taken to an ABC centre where its activities are monitored for 10 days. Following this, a three-member committee comprising a local representative, veterinary officer and a member of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals investigate the dog’s behaviour. If a dog is found to be aggressive, it will remain at an ABC for the rest of its life.”
