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SC to hear plea against culling of stray dogs in UP’s Sitapur
New Delhi, May 28 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday said it would hear on Friday a plea against alleged culling of stray dogs in Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh following the deaths of several children in the area.
The plea was mentioned for urgent hearing before a bench of Justice L. Nageswara Rao and Justice M.M. Shantanagoudar.
The petition, filed by advocate Gargi Srivastava, sought a direction to the Uttar Pradesh government to ensure that no more killings of community dogs take place as an after-effect of the death of 13 children in the past seven months in Sitapur, unless it was established that dogs were behind such attacks.
It also sought a direction to the state government to take immediate action and lodge FIRs against individuals involved in aiding and abetting the killing of dogs without following the due process of law and also initiate an inquiry against erring officials of the district administration.
There was “indiscriminate and inhuman killing” of stray dogs in Sitapur on the mere assumption that the deaths were being caused by dog attacks, but subsequent investigations had pointed towards attacks on children by wild animals and not stray dogs, said the plea.
It said that “owing to the lack of proper and timely efforts by the district administration to contain the number of attacks and the reason behind the same, the attacks increased drastically which has, as per the reports, led to the deaths of 13 children”.
The magnitude of the problem increased this month when unconfirmed reports of attacks being carried out by stray dogs appeared in the media after statements by the District Magistrate of Sitapur, the plea filed through advocate Astha Sharma stated.
“Following such newspaper reports, indiscriminate and brutal killing of community dogs by hanging them alive, burying them alive, hitting them with ‘lathis’ (wooden stick), leaving them to bleed to death in a pile of garbage and shooting them point blank started.”
It said this rampant massacre led to over 150 dogs being brutally killed over a span of a few days by not only the local people but also under orders of the village panchayats, police officials as well as the officers from the district administration.
The plea said in its November 18, 2015 order, the apex court categorically directed all local authorities and panchayats not to kill stray dogs.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.