Why did a man in dog costume walk into MP's Khandwa collectorate office? ‘Children are afraid to go to school’

A man from Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa has sparked amusement on social media after dressing up as a dog and visiting the collectorate office to highlight the growing stray dog menace in the city. According to news agency ANI, Deepak "Mullu" Rathore, Khandwa Municipal Corporation Leader of Opposition, reached the collectorate office with a man dressed in a full dog costume during a routine public hearing.

The Congress leader claimed that nearly 13,225 people in Khandwa had been bitten by dogs so far. He alleged that the number of stray dogs had continued to rise despite the Municipal Corporation spending lakhs of rupees on measures to control their population.

‘There is an atmosphere of fear’

"The people of Khandwa are very troubled, and dogs are targeting humans and animals as their prey day by day. So far, around 13,225 people have been bitten by dogs. Despite the Municipal Corporation spending lakhs of rupees, the number of dogs is not decreasing; rather, it is increasing which is causing a lot of trouble for pedestrians at night. Children are afraid to go to school. People have to ride their motorcycles with their feet raised because of the fear of dogs. There is an atmosphere of fear," Rathore told ANI.

The Congress leader also alleged irregularities in the tender issued for the stray dog sterilisation programme. To highlight the issue during the Jan Sunwai, he said he had brought a person wearing a dog mask and demanded action against those found responsible.

"As part of our protest, we brought up the issue concerning the company that was awarded the tender (sterilisation). We received information that there was some irregularity in the company. Therefore, we submitted the application at the Jan Sunwai through a person dressed as a dog, so that action can be taken and strict action can be initiated against whoever is responsible in the Municipal Corporation," the Congress leader added.

Collector calls protest inappropriate

Khandwa Collector Rishav Gupta criticised the manner in which the protest was conducted, saying such acts should not take place during the Jan Sunwai. He said the allegations would nevertheless be looked into and assured that appropriate action would follow if any irregularities were found.

"During Jan Sunwai, a matter came to light regarding stray animals, particularly the cases of dog bites being reported to the Municipal Corporation. Prima facie, it appears that such publicity stunts are not appropriate. The reason is that the Jan Sunwai platform is a very serious platform where all district officials come together, and around 200 to 250 applications are received and addressed with due seriousness," Gupta told ANI.

'Applications should follow normal procedure'

The Collector said using a person in a dog mask merely to attract publicity was not an appropriate way to raise a complaint. He stressed that such grievances should instead be submitted through the established procedure so they could be properly examined and addressed.

"As far as the merits of the matter are concerned, it will be investigated. If any wrongdoing is found, action will certainly be taken," the Collector said.