Dog abuse: Lawyer mulls legal action against three agencies
Letters of demand will be sent out today to the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) and two animal welfare bodies for inaction on an alleged animal abuse case.
This comes after a short clip showing the abuse of a dog involving a suspected MPK employee went viral on social media.
Letters of demand will be sent out today to the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) and two animal welfare bodies for inaction on an alleged animal abuse case.
This comes after a short clip showing the abuse of a dog involving a suspected MPK employee went viral on social media.
Animal rights lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan said at a press conference that two police reports have been lodged by eyewitnesses. One was lodged by a lady who referred to herself only as Sahana.
The reports - sighted by Malaysiakini – were lodged at the Kajang district police headquarters.
Two eyewitnesses described the disturbing incident to reporters, claiming that the dog was choked despite protests from onlookers.
“Actually, a lot of people - (of all races) Chinese, Malays, Indians - came down and they started to beg the officer to let the dog go.
“The more the residents begged, the more he acted aggressively. He (the accused officer) became more adamant.
“Even though the dog started to bleed and was struggling there, he started to strangle the dog more,” said an eyewitness who identified herself as Nithya.
She added that the 'leashed' dog was “hanging from the rope” in a similar manner to the act of hanging oneself.
“Of course, this is their job but why do it so cruelly? Even with a lot of people asking him to show mercy, he was letting out his anger on the dog.
“The dog is docile and everyone in the area has been taking care of the dog. The dog won’t go after anyone,” she said.
The 19-second clip of the Aug 13 incident showed a leashed dog that appeared to be bleeding through its snout, with a number of residents could be heard scolding the enforcement officers for hurting the injured animal.
Take responsibility, MPK
On that note, Rajesh claimed that precedents have shown that "no action will be taken" by the local authorities.
"Under normal circumstances, if an officer did not follow rules, the council will censure the person.
“If it is a criminal act, a police report will be lodged but it is incumbent for the council to lodge a report. Hence, they failed in their duty for this case.
"Action should be taken against MPK by the Selangor state government. Besides, has the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) taken action (in this case)?" Rajesh asked.
The letter of demand mentioned stipulates that the bodies have seven days to take action on the case - failing which, legal action will be taken against them.
The bodies Rajesh was referring to are the Animal Welfare Board, DVS and MPK.
Calling the incident “a travesty of the highest order”, Rajesh said it was imperative for MPK to take responsibility for the incident even if the officer involved was a private contractor hired by the local council.
"We don't know if they are employees or contractors hired by the local council but they came in MPK’s van, wearing MPK vests.
“From a legal standpoint, MPK is still responsible for what they did," he said, deeming it a case of vicarious liability.
Vicarious liability is a term used when one party is held partly responsible for the unlawful actions of a third party.
let's make sure this arrogant fellow get sacked. i want see how he can survive with no salary ............... do a reverse. strangle him with no money in his pocket. let him starve !