Mar 13, 2010, 12:04 GMT
New Delhi - Maoist rebels have been killing dogs in parts of eastern India as their barking tips off the rebels' moves to security forces, news reports said Saturday.
'We have got information that Maoist rebels have started killing dogs in bordering areas of Jharkhand and West Bengal. Some dead dogs have also been found in jungle areas,' Shankar Hembrom, president of the Nagrik Suraksha Samiti (citizen's protection society) was quoted as saying by IANS news agency.
The organization is based in Jamshedpur, a town in Jharkhand state.
The Indian chapter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had written an open letter to the rebels earlier in March appealing to them to spare the dogs.
PETA said it had received reports that the rebels - fearing that barking dogs would alert people about their movements, especially at night - had issued a 'fatwa' ordering villagers to poison dogs and threatening them with dire consequences if they failed to do so.
'We urge you to consider that animals have no part in your battle and should not be made to suffer in the crossfire,' the letter to the rebels said.
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