Hours after Supreme Court order, man slaps woman 9 times for feeding stray dogs in Ghaziabad; arrested | Noida News

GHAZIABAD: A confrontation between two residents on feeding stray dogs turned ugly on Friday night, leading to the arrest of a Siddharth Vihar resident who slapped a young woman who had stepped out with food for the canines multiple times. Coming hours after Supreme Court’s order barring people from feeding strays at non-designated feeding spots, the incident drew concern from many about people taking the law into their own hands as a video of the assault on the 22-year-old woman was shared on messaging platforms and social media on Saturday. The video shows the man in a black shirt, now identified as Kamal Kishore Khanna, approaching the woman and slapping her repeatedly. Khanna, police said, is a resident of Siddharth Vihar’s Brahmaputra Enclave. He was arrested on Saturday and remanded in judicial custody. ACP Ritesh Tripathi said Khanna has been charged under sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 352 (breach of peace) of BNS.According to the complainant, Seema Rani, she and her friend Yashika Shukla regularly feed three community dogs in their neighbourhood. On Friday evening, she said, a car allegedly driven by Khanna swerved towards them while they were feeding the animals. “We saved ourselves at the last moment,” Seema said. The driver then parked the vehicle, abused them, and began slapping Shukla “nine times in quick succession”. Yashika told TOI that Khanna also threatened to make life “difficult” for the two women if they approached the police. Seema alleged hostility towards dog feeders was not new in their colony, and claimed one of the stray dogs had previously been beaten by residents. “We have been facing constant threats from some members of the society. There is no designated feeding area, which creates disputes,” she said.Khanna’s brother Gagan, however, claimed the confrontation began after Yashika refused to let Khanna park his car in a designated slot and instigated him by slapping him first. He alleged the video circulating online was “edited” to remove that portion, accusing the women of starting the spat.The episode reignited debate over stray dog management in urban areas. Following Supreme Court’s ruling, municipal bodies are required to set up feeding points for strays in every ward. The concern is that till that happens, such spats will routinely break out.Ghaziabad’s chief veterinary officer Dr Anuj Singh said the corporation was preparing a policy to implement Supreme Court’s directive in consultation with residents’ associations and feeders. Animal welfare activists argue that a single feeding spot per ward, as SC has ordered, may not be practical. “Dogs live in territorial groups and need multiple spots depending on their population,” said Surbhi Rawat, president of People for Animals Ghaziabad-Noida. “Where systems have worked, such as in Indirapuram’s Aditya Megacity, feeding areas were spread across the locality and planned with caregivers.”