Indian students arrested for throwing dog from roof, but soon released on bail

The two Indian medical students who threw a puppy from a roof in a viral video were arrested by the local police, but soon released on bail. The five-month-old dog was rescued yesterday and is undergoing treatment for fractures in her hind leg and spine. 

The two students were charged under the existing laws for animal cruelty, but were released on bail soon after. The quick bail has led several activists to argue for the need for stronger laws to prevent animal cruelty. Anyone accused under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act can be let off with minor fines of as little as Rs 10 and Rs 50, instead of imprisonment.

Gautam Sudarshan, who threw the dog from the roof in the video, and Ashish Paul, who shot the video, were final year students at a medical college in the southern city of Chennai. The two had been absconding since the video, originally shot a couple of week ago, went viral on social media in the last two days and sparked widespread public outrage. 

Chennai police has been on a manhunt, and finally spoke to their parents and told them to surrender. Meanwhile, their college authorities also issues an ultimatum that they wouldn't be allowed to write their exams if they didn't surrender. Several organisations had also offered cash rewards for leads about their identity and location.

"With video evidence and so much of public outrage, we couldn't even remand them for even one day. It is a black day for animal rights in the country,” animal rights activist Shravan Krishnan wrote in a Facebook post. "However, we will keep fighting and try and get the police to file the charge-sheet."

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