Thane police register NC against pet clinic employees for animal abuse
A non-cognisable offence has been registered against two employees of Vetic pet clinic in Manpada after a video went viral showing one of them repeatedly punching a dog in the clinic
Thane: A non-cognisable offence has been registered against two employees of Vetic pet clinic in Manpada after a video went viral showing one of them repeatedly punching a dog in the clinic.
Girish Gode, senior inspector, Chitalsar police station said, “The incident occurred nearly a week ago, and the video had gone viral. Thane Municipal Corporation’s vet Dr Kshama Shirodkar noticed the video, and lodged a formal complaint with us. Based on the complaint, we booked them under Section 11 (1) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. It is a non-cognisable offence.”
Legal provisions for such offences have very lenient punishments, with fines ranging from ₹10 to ₹50 for a first offence and fines of ₹25 to ₹100 or imprisonment for up to three months for subsequent offences.
The dog, placed at Vetic clinic by its owner, has now been moved to PetAshram, a compassionate dog boarding centre in Waghbil, for recovery. Efforts are underway to trace and contact the pet owners through animal activists to obtain their statement.
Dr Rajesh Sonsurkar, a Thane resident, said, “The video was shocking, and infuriated a lot of us to see the dog with a muzzle on its mouth and being punched by an ignorant youth. What we got to know in our pet groups is that the owners of the pet had apparently kept the pet at this clinic for grooming him for a wedding and were not aware of this abuse till the video went viral.”
{{/usCountry}}Dr Rajesh Sonsurkar, a Thane resident, said, “The video was shocking, and infuriated a lot of us to see the dog with a muzzle on its mouth and being punched by an ignorant youth. What we got to know in our pet groups is that the owners of the pet had apparently kept the pet at this clinic for grooming him for a wedding and were not aware of this abuse till the video went viral.”
{{/usCountry}}Vetic, claiming to be India’s first tech-driven pet clinic chain in veterinary care, has branches in six cities, including Gurgaon, Noida, Delhi, Ghaziabad, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. The Manpada outlet was closed after the incident. Animal lovers gathered at the clinic, expressing their outrage, tried to attack the two youths when taken into custody by the police, but the police brought the situation under control.
{{/usCountry}}Vetic, claiming to be India’s first tech-driven pet clinic chain in veterinary care, has branches in six cities, including Gurgaon, Noida, Delhi, Ghaziabad, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. The Manpada outlet was closed after the incident. Animal lovers gathered at the clinic, expressing their outrage, tried to attack the two youths when taken into custody by the police, but the police brought the situation under control.
{{/usCountry}}Vetic pet clinic said in a statement, “This is a deeply disturbing incident involving a pet and two of our groomers. As pet parents and animal lovers, this is shocking and completely unacceptable to us. As a first step, we have immediately terminated both of them and launched a formal investigation into this. We are also working alongside the authorities and have initiated police action in this matter.”
Appealing to animal lovers, a Vetic spokesperson said, “We understand the trust you place in us when you choose Vetic for your furry baby’s care, and we are committed to upholding that trust with the highest standards of compassion and professionalism.”
