IMPHAL: A man, who shocked animal lovers by pulling a dog along the street in Imphal before killing it for meat, was arrested by the police along with some of his friends, an official source said on Sunday.
Earlier, a video clip of a man driving a motorcycle on the street and trailing a dog behind it went viral on social media, and the incident shocked not only animal activists but also social media users.
An affected animal activist investigated the incident that led to the arrest of the man later identified as Motilal Thiyam (47), a resident of Lairikyengbam Makha Leikai, Imphal East district. He was picked up along with some of his friends who were found preparing to cook the dog meat.
However, the police detained only two of them, Motilal, who acted cruelty to the dog by dragging down the streets, and one Yusham Muinao (37), who allegedly bought the dog for meat, a police source said.
A team of Lamphel Police Station, Imphal West, arrested them from an area where the dog was slaughtered for consumption on Sunday afternoon, around 2 p.m., the source added.
Reports further said that the police apprehended the two men after a formal complaint was lodged jointly by Yening Animal Foundation (YAF) and Manipur Dog Lovers’ Club (MDLC) at Lamphel Police Station of Imphal West district. The organisations have drawn the attention of the higher authorities of the Manipur government including the Chief Minister, advocating that the incident is an act of cruelty meted out to animals. They wrote to the Chief Minister requesting him to take actions in this regard.