'Dog' storms into Madhya Pradesh public hearing, folds hands to protest stray menace

Khandwa Municipal Corporation Leader of Opposition Deepak (Mullu) Rathore arrived at the public hearing with a person wearing a dog mask.‘Dog’ storms into Madhya Pradesh public hearing, folds hands to protest stray menaceA man wearing a dog mask was brought to a public hearing in Madhya Pradesh’s Khandwa in an unusual protest over the alleged irregularities in the municipal corporation’s dog sterilisation drive.Khandwa Municipal Corporation Leader of Opposition Deepak (Mullu) Rathore presented the city’s stray dog problem in a different manner during the public hearing. His protest left several officials thinking about the seriousness of the issue and eventually led to an assurance that a committee would be formed to investigate the matter and take appropriate action.Rathore arrived at the public hearing with a person wearing a dog mask. A police officer stationed at the entrance initially tried to stop them. That led to a brief argument. However, officials inside the hall instructed the police to allow them to enter.Rathore first raised the issue with officials of the municipal corporation who were seemingly unable to provide an answer. He then submitted a complaint citing figures on the rising number of stray dogs and dog-bite cases in the city. Rathore said that 13,225 people had been bitten by dogs in Khandwa over the past four years. He also alleged that more than Rs 40 lakh had been spent during the same period in the name of sterilising dogs, despite the stray population continuing to increase.As part of his protest, Rathore presented the masked person as a dog raising questions over alleged corruption in Khandwa in the name of stray dogs. He claimed that the ‘dog’ had undergone sterilisation but had still become the father of six puppies, questioning whether the sterilisation programme had actually been carried out. He said the matter should be investigated and added that if the complaint was not heard, the ‘dog’ would file a defamation case against the municipal corporation for allegedly carrying out corruption in its name.Rathore also described the masked ‘dog’ as “very educated and intelligent” and said it had politely presented its complaint to the officials with folded hands.The unusual presentation initially left people in the hall surprised, while some also laughed after learning that the masked person had come as a ‘dog’ to complain about having puppies despite being sterilised.However, Additional Collector Kashiram Badole heard Rathore’s complaint in detail. The masked person also remained seated on a chair during the hearing.After hearing the complaint, Kashiram Badole assured Deepak Rathore that a committee would be formed and appropriate action would be taken.- Ends(With inputs from Jai Nagda) Published On: Aug 19, 2026 12:02 IST