Chandigarh SPCA dog death exposes institutional neglect, activists demand probe

A stray dog died at Chandigarh’s SPCA facility in Sector 38 West on Monday evening after suffering repeated seizures for over six hours inside a kennel, with no veterinary treatment administered despite a vet and a supervisor being present at the facility, according to eyewitness accounts and documented observations.

The matter came to light on Thursday when animal welfare advocates lodged a formal complaint with the UT Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, and MC Commissioner, terming the incident a custodial death caused by institutional negligence, deepening the crisis at a facility that the Punjab and Haryana High Court has been closely monitoring for months.

SPCA facility supervisor Saurabh remained unresponsive despite repeated attempts. The dog, a white stray, was picked up from Sector 42B between 12.30 pm and 1 pm by a Municipal Corporation dog-catching team operating under the supervision of Dr Gaurav Lakhanpal, one of the veterinarians who appeared before the high court on March 11 and gave assurances about animal welfare at the facility.

According to observers, the dog was healthy and mobile when caught. No written complaint or documented evidence of aggressive behaviour was produced to justify the capture. The animal was brought to the SPCA centre around 1.20 pm and placed in kennel bearing tag number 3925 by 1.27 pm. Within minutes, it suffered its first seizure. A second seizure was recorded around 1.37 pm.

Over the following hours, the dog remained in visible distress, exhibiting head tremors and minimal movement. According to eyewitnesses, veterinarian Dr Vikram conducted his evening round but did not examine or attend to the dog. Supervisor Saurabh, reportedly present during the dog’s arrival, did not register the entry of a new animal in the records.

Around 7.43 pm, a staff member noticed during evening feeding rounds that the dog was unresponsive. The animal was declared dead within minutes. The carcass was allegedly left unattended inside the kennel overnight and retrieved only the following morning.

Animal welfare activists, led by People For Animals (PFA) representative Saarthak Jain, have demanded a time-bound independent inquiry into the dog’s death, suspension of the personnel concerned pending investigation, and the immediate release of CCTV footage from the facility, the very footage that the high court, in its March 11 order, directed the local Commissioner to have free access to for monitoring compliance with welfare directives.

Activists have also demanded clarification on the legal basis for the dog’s capture and urgent framing of an SOP for animal handling, transport, and emergency medical care in line with the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) guidelines.

PATTERN OF NEGLECT

The incident is the latest in an unbroken chain of failures at Chandigarh’s animal welfare infrastructure, which The Tribune has been exclusively tracking since February 23. On that day, this newspaper first reported that a pregnant stray dog had been kept in illegal confinement at the old Raipur Kala Animal Birth Control shelter for nearly 60 days, twenty times the permissible three-day limit. Driven to extremity by stress and starvation, the dog had consumed one of her newborn pups and partially devoured another that was still alive.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court took cognisance and, under Justice Alka Sarin, directed the shifting of all animals to the newly built SPCA facility in Sector 38 West within 10 days. On March 8, The Tribune reported that the cruelty had followed the animals to their new home, with staff absent, gates locked, cage keys taken home, and CCTVs non-functional.

The high court, on March 10, appointed advocate Shruti Sharma as local Commissioner to inspect the facility. On March 11, the court heard SPCA’s own doctors concede that the 47 dogs at the shelter were receiving fewer than two eggs each per day, against a medical requirement of four to five, and directed SPCA to file an affidavit on steps to meet nutritional standards. The matter is next listed on April 7.

The death of a dog that arrived healthy on Wednesday and was dead six hours later, with a vet on the premises who allegedly did not examine it once, has added a new and graver dimension to a crisis that shows no sign of abating.

MANEKA GANDHI CONDEMNS ‘ARBITRARY HARASSMENT’, DEMANDS REMOVAL OF VET AND CATCHER

“This dog’s death is deeply distressing — and entirely avoidable. SPCA had picked him up before, kept him for weeks, and then released him. To pick him up again just three days after release is arbitrary harassment with no justification whatsoever. When he saw the van this time, he must have tried to run and hide — and they would have chased and beaten him. Beating, fear, shock, exhaustion — that is what killed this dog, not any illness. He was not aggressive at all," said Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, former Union minister and senior BJP leader.

"The dog-catcher who carried out this operation must be removed immediately. Dr Gaurav Lakhanpal, who gave the order to harass this animal repeatedly, must also be removed. No VIP pressure or convenience can justify what was done to this dog. This is not animal welfare — this is institutional cruelty, and those responsible must be held accountable.”

ACTIVISTS’ DEMANDS

• Time-bound independent inquiry into the dog’s death
• Suspension of all concerned personnel pending investigation
• Release of CCTV footage from March 17
• Written clarification on the legal basis for the dog’s capture from Sector 42B
• Immediate framing and enforcement of SOP for animal handling, transport, and emergency medical care as per AWBI guidelines