In an incident in Sitapur, a man was arrested after Indian politician, animal rights activist, and environmentalist, Maneka Gandhi asked the police to register a complaint against him for allegedly breaking a dog's leg with a stick.
Although the incident took place on 18th June, the complaint was lodged on 20th June. An audio clip had gone viral in which Maneka Gandhi was heard instructing SHO Kotwali Sitapur to arrest the man and take strict action. As per the audio, she requested the policeman to slap the accused on her behalf and make him pay for the dog's treatment.
SHO Kotwali TP Singh said that on Sunday a local man came to Kotwali and handed the phone to police officer, claiming Maneka Gandhi was on the line.
The accused was arrested but the case took another phase as Maneka was upset over the dog’s amputation surgery going wrong. Reportedly, she called the veterinarian an illiterate without giving him a chance to answer. The doctor on call informed that the owner insisted on returning the dog after amputation surgery. He stated that he advised the owner to be cautious because the dog may attempt to tear open the stitches but without even listening to him, Gandhi starting using foul language and talked in an extremely rude manner.
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According to reports, Gandhi threatened to cancel the doctor's veterinary license, used Hindi slurs and referred to him as "Haramzaade," "Harami," "Haramkhor. Further, Gandhi even asked the doctor “Tumhara baap kya karta hai? Koi maali hai chowkidar hai kya hai?”
Following the harassment of the vet by Maneka, veterinarians across the country protested and call 23rd June a black day. Meanwhile, the Indian Veterinary Association has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemning the unruly behavior and unparliamentary language used by Maneka Gandhi against doctors. Netizens, too stand by IVA and demand an apology from Maneka Gandhi.
(This article was contributed by Shefali Kohli)