Mumbai: Malad temple trust’s son booked for killing puppy

Accused Anupam Tiwari lives on the premises of the temple

The police have booked a temple trustee's son on the charge of killing a four-month-old puppy on the temple premises in Malad West. The accused has fled the city, they said. The case against Anupam Tiwari, who lives in the compound of the Shiv temple at Navy Colony, came on a complaint by 19-year-old student Nisha Girdharilal Murpana.

Nisha, who feeds dogs in the area, said, "On March 25, I had gone to the temple with a friend Manas Salvi to feed a few puppies there. We heard a puppy yelping inside the temple. We saw a man hitting it with a stick. I stopped him. Later, I learnt that he was a trustee's son."

Nisha took the puppy to a vet who gave it an injection. "The puppy had received injuries on its head, stomach and legs and died at 11pm. Animal lover Vijay Rangare from Navi Mumbai helped us file a complaint. He [Tiwari] killed a puppy in a temple where God lives."

The police have registered a case against Tiwari. "We are getting CCTV footage from the temple. The accused escaped to his village in UP," said a police officer from Malad.

Temple trustee and Tiwari's father Krushnadhar said the puppies try to bite devotees. "My son did hit the puppy but did not intend to kill it. We also paid for its treatment. Many NGOs and activists are messaging and calling to threaten and abuse me." He said Tiwari is in UP for Holi.