NCP worker’s dog killed for ignoring threat letter

MIRA ROAD: Polls to the Mira Bhyandar Municipal Corporation seem to be heating, with political parties trying to deter opponents from even campaigning.

In one such incident, some unidentified culprits killed the pet dog of NCP worker Mrunalini Thakur from New Rawal Nagar in Bhyandar (E). The pet, named Sam, was killed so brutally that the Thakurs remain shattered ever since the incident was discovered on Tuesday evening.

Mrunalini, a popular NCP worker in Rawal Nagar, was campaigning for the party candidate Mohan Patil when she got a threat letter in Hindi about 10 days back. “Stop campaigning or face dire consequences,” it said. Thakur, however, ignored it. It was only on Tuesday morning that a part of the threat seemed to have been carried out. Sam, who was released for answering nature’s call at 7 am, had not returned for a long time now, and the family started looking for it. Mrunalini’s husband Manohar said, “We found Sam’s body in a nearby nullah only at about 6.30 pm.”

Manohar said, “The letter signed by a ‘well-wisher’ assured to pay Rs3 lakh if we joined the sender.” The matter was reported to the Mira Road police.

Alleging that the killing was the handiwork BJP workers, NCP MLC Jitendra Awhad said, “The police, which handled the matter casually, should have registered an offence under relevant sections of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.”