Goons Attack Mumbai Animal Shelter Volunteer, Allegedly Threaten More Harm After FIR Filed

Cases of cruelty against animals and animal volunteers isn’t something unheard of in our country.

Recently an incident, shot on video, in Khar, Mumbai surfaced where a woman volunteer was thrashed by a group of locals.

Months after a verbal altercation between locals (complaining of foul smell from the shelter) and volunteers of Youth Organization in Defence of Animals (YODA) Mumbai in the area, another attack took place on a female volunteer on Thursday, February 6.

In a bid to strangulate the woman the man pushed her against her scooter and then continued to violently and brutally attack her while she was still pinned down.

The two culprits, identified as Arif and Aslam Shaikh, surrounded the woman volunteer after pinning her down and soon absconded.

Despite the ghastly attack, it took police a while to register the FIR but the problems for the Animal Organization didn’t end there.

On Sunday, February 9, a huge crowd gathered outside the Khar Police Station supporting the local goons who attacked the woman volunteer.

Moreover, they threatened to break the shelter and harm all their volunteers. Even the civic sanitation workers were heckled and threatened.

Even though the main accused was nowhere to be seen, the crowd orchestrated outside in his support forced the organization to withdraw their FIR.

Other accused nabbed by the police officials were also released on bail without setting up an inquiry on the whole incident.

Calling it an issue of women safety in the city and not just a case of animal rights, the organization condemned the attack and asked people from across the country to stand by them in this difficult situation.