The headmaster and a non-teaching staff member of a school in Gayeshpur, Nadia, were arrested on Thursday for allegedly beating to death a street dog that had entered the campus on July 8.

The incident came to light after video clips of the brutal act surfaced on social media, triggering public outrage and condemnation from animal rights activists.

Head teacher Gour Bhawal and clerk Tarapada Das, of Gayeshpur Netaji Vidyamandir (Higher Secondary) were taken into custody from their respective residences following a complaint filed by Pritha Chakraborty, a member of the animal welfare group, Voice for Paws, at the Gayeshpur police outpost under Kalyani police station.

The video footage captured the headmaster, the clerk and some students beating the dog to death with bamboo poles and sticks.

According to local sources, the street dog locally known as Kalu entered the school campus around 11.30am on July 8. Sources said some students began throwing stones at the dog, claiming it was biting people and soon the headmaster and the clerk cornered it and began hitting it with sticks, joined by some students in uniform. The beatings continued till the dog died.

“It is shocking and unimaginable that a teacher was seen beating a dog to death and seemingly encouraging his colleague and students to join in,” said complainant Chakraborty. “A person entrusted with shaping young minds should be imparting lessons of compassion, not cruelty,” she added.

Animal activist and a para-vet, Isha Chanda, who first rushed to the school after verifying the video, helped initiate legal action.

“I reached the school campus to verify the authenticity of the viral footage and found the dog’s body lying there. We recovered the body around 11pm, stored it in a freezer at the Kalyani police station, and later sent it to Krishnanagar for an autopsy,” she said.

The police filed charges under relevant Section of BNS as well as under Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

The two accused were produced before the additional chief judicial magistrate’s court on Thursday and were granted bail.

Santanu Mandal, state committee secretary of the Progressive Association of Headmasters and Headmistresses, who appeared in court to ensure legal support to the accused Bhawal, said: “It is unclear what exactly provoked the headmaster.... We heard the dog had bitten people, and in such cases, the headmaster could have been held responsible for any harm to students. But that's no justification. We believe the law should take its own course.”

Animal activists strongly refuted claims that the dog was dangerous. “There is no evidence that the dog bit anyone. No anti-rabies vaccines were administered from any local health unit in recent days,” said Chakraborty, also a lawyer. “We are awaiting the autopsy report and are committed to pursuing legal action to secure justice for the innocent animal."

Police sources corroborated her. “The accused claimed the dog had bitten people, but we have not found any individual to confirm that,” a police officer said.

The bail disappointed animal welfare advocates, who said existing laws dealing with animal cruelty were grossly inadequate.

The ABVP has lodged a separate complaint in connection with the incident.