16 November,2012 06:50 AM IST | | Sandip Kolhatkar
Dipil Mohite, a city-based labour leader and president of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Pratishthan, has been observing the sniffer dog's death anniversary on November 16 for the past 12 years. A-year old Zanjeer was inducted into the squad in 1993 and used to detect RDX and other explosive material at the time of the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts.
"The brave dog served the police force for almost eight years. He suffered a lung ailment and died in a Mumbai hospital on November 16, 2000," Dilip said.
Ardent dog lover Mohite said that the dog's death anniversary came about because Zanjeer's contribution to the police force was tremendous.
"Policemen who die a martyr's death get accolades, but canine members go unnoticed. We gathered information on the dog from the state Criminal Investigation Department's dog centre in Shivajinagar, and will release a 40-page booklet on Zanjeer's career shortly," Mohite said. He added that the organisation has also decided to award some policemen, who have shown extraordinary valour and gallantry during their tenure.u00a0
