Animal Cruelty

Since late December 2025, following gram panchayat elections in Telangana, India, over 1,200 stray dogs have been allegedly killed across multiple districts including Jagtial, Hanamkonda, Kamareddy, and Yacharam, primarily through poisoning and lethal injections. In Jagtial's Abbapur village, at least 100-300 carcasses were discovered in pits on January 23-25, 2026, contributing to confirmed police figures of around 500-900 deaths this month alone, with activists estimating higher totals. FIRs have been filed against village sarpanchs, secretaries, and contractors under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, linked to election promises of 'dog-free villages'.