Over a week after a resident of Madhavaram in Chennai accused a man of sexually assaulting puppies, the police on Wednesday arrested a 30-year-old man in relation to the case. The arrest happened after another resident of Madhavaram allegedly found the accused, Bhaskar, sexually assaulting a calf on Tuesday, and complained to the police.
“Bhaskar began walking away when he realised there was someone watching him. A resident of the area followed him to his house and later informed us. We reported the incident to the Madhavaram police and this was added to the existing FIR under his name. This time, with help from Joint Commissioner (North) of the police, there was immediate action,” says Sai Vignesh, an animal rights activist.
An FIR has been filed under section 294 (doing obscene act in a public place) of the Indian Penal Code.
Bhaskar lives in Madhavaram, and residents and Sai Vignesh allege that he is a repeat offender. He was produced before a Magistrate Court where directions were issued for him to be treated for his mental illness. However, Sai Vignesh alleges that portraying the accused as mentally ill is a ‘ploy’ by his parents to ensure he is not punished.
Last week, another Madhavaram resident, Ilavarasi had complained about Bhaskar to the police for allegedly sexually assaulting 15-day-old puppies in her area.
Ilavarasi had said that her complaint was treated lightly by the police, though she provided CCTV footage to them as proof. In the footage, a man can be seen unzipping his pants. However, Ilavarasi had told TNM that the police stalled saying they could not see the crime clearly in the footage. While an FIR was filed later, no action was taken until now.
Source: The News Minute