Allegations of mass killing of street dogs have rocked Telangana, with nearly 500 canines allegedly poisoned to death in the past week across several villages, reportedly to fulfil promises made during the recent gram panchayat elections, news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.

According to a complaint filed by animal welfare activist Adulapuram Goutham (35) on January 12, street dogs were systematically killed in villages including Bhavanipet, Palwancha, Faridpet, Wadi, and Bandarameshwarapally in Kamareddy district. Goutham alleged that around 200 dogs were killed over the past two to three days.

The complainant said he received credible information around 3 pm on January 12 about the alleged mass killings. He further claimed that the acts were carried out at the behest of the respective village sarpanches.

Police sources told PTI that a case has been registered against six people, including five village sarpanches and one individual, identified as Kishore Pandhey, who was allegedly hired to execute the killings.

Goutham alleged that the dogs were administered poisonous injections, leading to their deaths. He said that around 6 pm the same day, he and a friend visited Bhavanipet village and found the carcasses of several dogs dumped near a temple.

Terming the acts “intentional and cruel,” the complainant demanded stringent legal action against those allegedly involved.

Police officials said the carcasses were buried on the outskirts of the villages and later exhumed by veterinary teams for post-mortem examinations.

“Viscera samples have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory to determine the exact cause of death and the type of poison used,” a senior police official told PTI, adding that notices have been issued to the accused.

Sources from the villages told PTI that some elected representatives allegedly carried out the killings to “fulfil promises made to villagers” during the recent panchayat polls.

“Ahead of the elections held in December last year, some candidates promised villagers they would tackle the stray dog and monkey menace. They are now allegedly ‘fulfilling’ those promises by killing street dogs,” the sources said.

Earlier this month, police registered a case against nine people, including two women sarpanches, their husbands, gram panchayat secretaries and hired individuals, in connection with the alleged poisoning of around 300 street dogs in Shayampet and Arepally villages in Hanamkonda district between January 6 and 9, PTI reported.

No official response from the accused sarpanches or village representatives was available at the time of filing this report.

The alleged mass killings come as the Supreme Court of India recently said it would consider directing states to pay “heavy compensation” in dog-bite cases and hold dog feeders accountable, citing poor implementation of norms related to the management of stray animals over the past five years.

The apex court criticised authorities for “failing miserably” to implement the Animal Birth Control (ABC) rules. It was observed that dog feeders should be made liable for attacks, noting that dog bites can have lifelong consequences.

“You take them to your house, keep them. Why should they be allowed to roam around, biting and chasing people? The effect of a dog bite is lifelong,” the bench said.