Chennai: Gowtham Sudarshan and Ashish Pal, two
medical students, who had filmed themselves, throwing a dog off the rooftop of
a building have been suspended from Madha Medical college here, where they
were studying medicine in their final year.
The incident, where Sudarshan was recorded
by his friend Pal flinging the dog from the terrace of a building here, caught
attention of all, after the shocking video went viral. The act drew outrage on
social media, animal welfare activists lodged a complaint with the police,
which booked them for cruel treatment meted out to an animal under Indian Penal
Code’s (IPC) sections 428 and 429 and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (Sec
11 (1-a).
The duo were arrested yesterday but later
released on bail.
The incident had drawn strong condemnation
from Animal rights group PETA, which hit out at two medical students and sought
their expulsion from their medical institution.
“It is despicable that people would get their
kicks from filming themselves throwing a dog off a roof,” PETA India CEO Poorva
Joshipura said in a statement.
Persons showing such a “shocking” lack of regard
for life should be not allowed to practice medicine, she said, adding, “The
students should be expelled”.
The group also took up the demand of the
expulsion of the two students — Gowtham Sudarshan and Ashish Pal, with the
authorities of their college.
“Acts of cruelty to animals like this one are
indicative of a deep mental disturbance. Research in psychology and criminology
shows that people who commit acts of cruelty to animals often don’t just stop
there, many of them move on to hurting other animals, children, women or other
people,” Bhuvaneshwari Gupta, Associate Manager of Campaigns, PETA, said in a
letter to the management of the private institution.
Urging the institute to expel these students if
found guilty, the letter said medical students are supposed to help, not hurt,
others.
“Anyone who is able to commit a heinous act like
this cannot be trusted to become a doctor,” Gupta said.
Meanwhile the dog has luckily survived and
was taken to a veterinary hospital. “It has suffered fractures in its front and
rear legs. It is being treated.”
“It is nothing short of a miracle that the dog
survived,” he added.
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