Fresh allegations of mass killing of stray dogs have emerged from Telangana, with animal welfare groups claiming that nearly 200 dogs were put to death in Hanamkonda district, pushing the state-wide toll to around 1,100 since December 2025.
According to a police complaint filed on Monday by animal rights activist A Goutham, the incident occurred about a month ago in Pathipaka village of Shayampet mandal, where stray dogs were allegedly killed by injecting them with toxic substances on the instructions of the local gram panchayat secretary.
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Goutham, who serves as a Cruelty Prevention Manager with the Stray Animal Foundation of India, said he and other activists visited the village after receiving information about the incident. During their inquiry, some residents reportedly pointed to the panchayat secretary’s role in orchestrating the killings, news agency PTI reported.
The activist further alleged that the bodies of the dogs were later buried in a burial ground and urged the police to register a formal case.
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A senior official at Shayampet police station said the new complaint has been clubbed with an FIR already registered in connection with the alleged killing of nearly 300 stray dogs in Shayampet and Arepally villages of Hanamkonda district. In that case, nine people, including two women sarpanches and their spouses, had earlier been booked. The investigation is ongoing, the official added.
Animal welfare organisations have reported a spate of such incidents across Telangana, particularly in January, raising concerns over a pattern of targeted killings.
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Activists suspect that some elected local representatives were involved, allegedly acting on assurances made to villagers ahead of the gram panchayat elections held in December to curb the stray dog population, the report stated.
In one such case, about 300 dogs were allegedly killed in Pegadapally village of Jagtial district on January 22 through poisonous injections. Police registered an FIR against the village sarpanch and gram panchayat secretary after activists accused them of involvement, invoking provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
Similarly, authorities booked the sarpanch, secretary and a ward member of Yacharam gram panchayat after around 100 dogs were allegedly poisoned in Yacharam village on January 19.
In another incident reported from Kamareddy district, approximately 200 stray dogs were allegedly killed, leading police to register cases against six individuals, including five village sarpanches, for their suspected roles.
(With inputs from PTI)