Students of IIM Calcutta — past and present — have accused the institute of “inflicting cruelty” on “community dogs” and relocating them from the campus.
A former student, representing the concerns of the students, both past and present, has written to the Animal Welfare Board of India, alleging that nine dogs, namely Bhola, Peanut and others, were “dumped 5-6km away from campus at a notorious dumping ground where animal carcasses are disposed of”.
Minal Warudkar, who graduated last year, said in the letter that the dogs were vaccinated, neutered, and cared for by the student-run organisation PetPals.
The group took care of around 50 dogs and 30 cats on the campus.
Her complaint says the dogs had been relocated at night. The IIM administration has expressed its “opposition” to the initiative of PetPals in taking care of the animals in the past.
“While we are not able to collect concrete evidence for this matter since none of us are on the campus, we are confident that these dogs would not go out by themselves, and it is also not possible for nine dogs to be taken out without being noticed by the security and the administration. This further strengthens our suspicion that the college administration might be involved in their relocation,” the letter says.
The student said these animals are an integral part of the campus, and their disappearance is not only “unethical but also illegal”.
The Animal Welfare Board of India wrote to the IIM Calcutta director on May 8 that the board had received anonymous emails from the “animal lovers of IIM Kolkata about cruelty being inflicted on the community dogs”.
The board has said in its letter, citing various provisions: “It is requested to look into the matter and to take appropriate action as per the provisions of the law. Forward action taken report to the board immediately.”
The acting director of IIM Calcutta, Saibal Chattopadhyay, told The Telegraph: “We have received the board’s letter. The institute is in the process of developing a dog enclosure. Once the enclosure is developed, we won’t have such complaints. We don’t believe in inflicting cruelty on the dogs.”
The board, about a decade ago, wrote to Presidency University when students there accused the university of throwing out dogs from the campus.
The university later developed a dog enclosure.