'Life Imprisonment' for Stray Dogs If…: UP’s Paw-licy Gets Tougher

Amid

the ongoing crackdown on stray dogs across Delhi NCR, Uttar Pradesh has issued a new directive, stating that dog biting will bring strict punishments for stray dogs. The state government has ordered all municipal bodies to implement new measures as the dog biting cases increase.The directive issued by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stressed that any stray dog that bites a person will face detention or life imprisonment.

Punishment for dogs explained

As per the order, a dog that bites a person for the first time will be detained for 10 days at an Animal Birth Control (ABC) Centre. But if the same dog bites again, a three-member team will investigate the case.The team will include livestock officers, representatives of the local body, and members of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).If, following the investigation, no evidence has been found to prove that the dog was provoked to attack, the dog will be kept in the ABC Centre for life unless someone officially adopts the dog.Also Read: SC Order on Stray Dogs: Does Delhi-NCR Have Enough Shelters For 10 Lakh Dogs? What PETA Said

How to prove a dog bit you

To make it credible from their end, the state government said the victim of the bite has to submit a treatment certificate from a government hospital.After receiving the information, the Animal Husbandry Department of the Municipal Corporation will take the dog to the ABC Centre and it will be kept under observation.However, it doesn't end here. Before releasing the dog after the 10-day detention period, a microchip will be installed in the dog to monitor its behavior.This comes after the Supreme Court ordered all stray dogs in Delhi and the NCR region to be kept in shelter homes within eight weeks. However, after the public took to the streets, protesting against it, a larger bench modified the order and directed that canines should be sterilised, vaccinated and released in their original locations.