14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Bollywood veteran panned for threatening to beat stray dogs
Mumbai: An online post by veteran Bollywood director and actor
Tinu Anand
(79) threatening to beat barking
stray dogs
with a hockey stick in his Malad (West) locality has led to angry comments from animal lovers and activists, who are now demanding an apology from who began his film journey as an assistant director to the legendary Satyajit Ray in his 1969 Bengali film 'Goopi Gyne Bagha Byne', stated in his building's WhatsApp group that it was "terrifying" to see the local dogs bark at him at night after he returned from a rather difficult film shoot.
He threatened to beat the dogs with a hockey stick and asked animal lovers to take all the dogs inside their homes, failing which they would have to face his and legal advisor to Pure Animal Lovers (PAL) Foundation, Roshan Pathak, said: "It is unfortunate that such a senior Bollywood personality can make such crass and careless statements about beating the local dogs with a hockey stick, only because they bark. I spoke to the local feeders in Anand's building at Malad, as they are disturbed by this threat issued on WhatsApp. I also messaged Anand that it is a crime to physically beat dogs and that it is natural for dogs to bark."While PAL is demanding an apology from Anand, PETA India has expressed surprise that the senior film director has shown such anger towards the mutes."We are surprised by Tinu Anand's comments against stray dogs because a few years ago, when he and his family resided in Juhu, they would often visit our PETA India office in the same area and showed that they cared for the local community dogs. The Anand family also had their own pet dog whom they loved dearly. Sterilisation and vaccination are the best and only legal ways to control dog numbers and keep them healthy," said PETA India legal advisor and director of cruelty response Meet animal feeder, Aanchal Chaddha, who resides in Anand's society, said: "We are concerned about this online threat he gave of hitting our street dogs. Anand should take back his words and apologise."Chaddha said she had already adopted several stray dogs and kept them at her home, but since it is not possible to keep all the street dogs in the house, they are regularly fed exact statement of Anand on the WhatsApp group was: "Have come back after a horrifying shoot to be greeted by terrifying dogs barking and not knowing who to bite next... Challenge taken. Have a hockey stick to face them... am warning all dog lovers hereon... take them home OR then face my wrath... my society is given advance notice."
