Marine Drive Police - Free the 7 abused Dalmatians NOW!!

Mr. Ammar Petiwala, was witness to an act of cruelty towards a dog on Marine Drive on Sunday night (March 20/21) committed by one Mr. Nirmeet Solanki (resident of Flat 1, Al-Sabah Court, Marine Drive). The dog, a deaf and mute dalmatian male was being beaten and kicked in his face and private parts. When Ammar confronted Solanki, he was verbally abused, threatened and berated. Solanki went on to say that the dog was eating his own feces and he was tired of the dog. When Ammar told him that it could be nutritional deficiency causing the issue and that physically abusing a dog was illegal, Solanki proceeded to sic the dog at Ammar and his friend saying they were going to get bitten. Solanki also repeatedly told Ammar to take the injured dog because he was fed up with him. Ammar has this recorded in a video.

Following this, he approached advocate Karan Mohta. Karan spoke to Dr. Srilakshmi Amirtheswaran, an animal welfare activist in Mumbai who then along with Animal Welfare Officer Mrs. Nandita Saigal (Card No. 432) and advocate Karan Mohta conducted a home visit to Mr. Solanki’s residence on March 23. The said home visit led them to see 7 Dalmatian dogs and one Red-Eared Slider turtle in the house. The dogs were tied up on very short leashes in dark rooms/toilets and had no access to any food or water.They suspected that the dogs are being used for breeding purposes. The turtle was in very bad shape and had a collapsed shell. Based on the initial act of cruelty and the home visit, Mr. Ammar Petiwala and Karan Mohta filed a complaint with the Marine Drive Police Station on March 23, 2016.

They approached the Marine Drive Police Station on March 24, 2016 and requested that an FIR (NC) be filed based on the complaint and the police accompany her to the house of Mr. Solanki to verify that the animals were subject to cruelty. Inspector Jeevan Babar was extremely helpful and ensured the FIR (NC) was filed immediately. Following this, they once again requested that a home visit be undertaken so that the animals could be rescued from the said house. Mrs. Saigal subsequently called Inspector Babar to inquire whether a visit would be undertaken by the police, to which he responded by saying that while he apprised the Station House Officer of the matter, the SHO was reluctant to conduct a visit without an order of the appropriate court.

It has also come to light that Solanki routinely traumatizes his neighbor, an elderly woman with a disabled grown son by siccing the dogs at them. This is cruelty to both the lady and the dogs who are being used to do someone else's dirty work. It is the firm opinion of Animal Welfare Officer Mrs. Saigal and Animal welfare activist Dr.Srilakshmi Amirtheswaran that the animals in that house need to be rescued and rehabilitated with immediate effect and that the same can be done by the Police without a court order. It has been 21 days since the home visit and the case has not progressed at all.

We are writing to you to express our worry and fear that the 7 Dalmatian dogs and 1 turtle, who are being abused, living in cruel conditions and are possibly being subject to illegal breeding, could be moved from the premises at Al-Sabah Court and vanish before any action is taken. We need your help in bringing justice to these poor voiceless souls.



We shall be ever grateful for your valued co-operation in the matter.