Sonam reports cruelty towards dog in Mumbai society, animal rights group calls for protest

Bollywood star Sonam Kapoor on Sunday took to Instagram to bring her followers' attention to an incident of cruelty towards a stray dog that was beaten up mercilessly for taking shelter in a building in Worli due to heavy rains.

Sonam, who is known for her animal advocacy efforts, narrated the entire incident as it was recorded in CCTV camera and wrote: "Please help! An FIR has been registered with the Worli Police Station by Bombay Animal Rights on 27/7/19 as Nishank had stopped responding to all our calls All videos & evidence available & provided to the police. We need help for this Pup from our animal welfare community."

The incident happened on July 24 when a resident, Mr Bhatia, of the second floor of Turf View building, next to Vitesse Showroom, Nehru Planetarium in Worli, instructed the watchman to beat up the dog in such a manner that no other animal dared to enter the premises of the building.

The watchmen, upon being instructed, hit the dog ruthlessly and left it to suffer in pain in the society's compound.

After the video of the incident went viral on social media, the Bombay Animal Rights on July 27 lodged an FIR with the Worli police against the two accused, Mr Bhatia and the security guard of the building, under IPC Sections 429 and 34. But in no time the two men were granted bail and were released.

The Bombay Animal Rights has urged people to gather at the Turf View building on Tuesday to stage a protest against animal cruelty.

"As people who care for animals...we are their voice...we are all gathering at Turf View building this Tuesday 30th of July at 7 pm to speak out against these cruel people. Please bring your banners to tell Mr Bhatia and the building security that what they have done will not be tolerated and is totally unforgivable. Please gather all on Tuesday on behalf of the voiceless...," the group said.

Bollywood actors John Abraham and Anushka Sharma too condemned the incident in no uncertain terms.

"I apologise for tweeting something so disturbing but the need of the hour is to protect these beautiful animals. And for people who do not like animals, at least please do not hurt them," 'Batla House' star John Abraham said on Twitter.

Anushka Sharma, who is known for her love for animals, reiterated a similar message on Instagram. "The inhumanity of this act is just unbelievable. This is the time for our community to step up and find a way to help get justice to a soul that can't stand up for himself. If there is any way one can reach out to help, this is the time. Please swipe left for all the information," she wrote.