A Raid That Uncovered a Disturbing Pattern
A veterinary facility in Bengaluru is now at the centre of a serious animal cruelty investigation, after police and civic officials raided the premises following allegations that healthy stray dogs were being deliberately injured so that surgical procedures could be practised on them.
The raid, and everything that has followed since, has exposed what animal welfare activists describe as a profound betrayal of the very purpose veterinary medicine is meant to serve.
How the Allegations Came to Light
The case began when animal welfare activists approached authorities with video evidence they say showed dogs being subjected to surgical procedures without adequate anaesthesia. Acting on these complaints, officials from the GBA’s animal husbandry wing, along with police personnel and veterinarians, moved to inspect the Doddakannelli premises.
What they allegedly found during the raid painted a troubling picture:
- Stray dogs being procured specifically for orthopaedic surgery practice
- Allegations that the animals’ legs were deliberately fractured before procedures were carried out on them
- Claims that some of the surgical procedures were performed without proper anaesthesia
- A facility that officials say did not hold the necessary permissions to either house animals or conduct medical procedures
What Officials Found on the Premises
According to multiple accounts of the raid, the scene inside the facility was deeply disturbing. Twelve dogs and a cat were found alive, while a dog was discovered dead on site. Several of the surviving animals were reportedly in poor condition and required immediate veterinary care, prompting their removal from the premises for treatment.
Rudresh Kumar KL, Additional Director (Animal Husbandry) at GBA East Corporation, offered a measured but pointed assessment to the press following the raid: “Based on what we saw at the facility, the complaints appear to have substance. Further investigation by the police will establish the facts.”
Priya Chetty-Rajagopal, trustee of the CJ Memorial Trust, an organisation involved in bringing the case to light, was more direct about the condition of the animals discovered. “The condition of the animals was horrible,” she said. “Going forward, we need to take steps to ensure this doesn’t happen again. Which is why I reached out to the KAWB. There needs to be a larger investigation.”
Who Has Been Booked So Far
Police have named two individuals in connection with the case:
- Dr. Asif Pasha — the veterinarian alleged to have operated the facility
- Manjunath S. — a postgraduate student at the Veterinary College, Hebbal, whose alleged involvement has raised additional concerns about the case’s connection to veterinary education and training practices
The involvement of a postgraduate veterinary student in particular has become a focal point of concern among activists, raising broader questions about how orthopaedic surgical training is being supervised and conducted for veterinary students in the region, and whether inadequate institutional oversight created space for this kind of alleged abuse to occur.
The Regulatory Response: KAWB Steps In
Following the raid and the FIR, the Karnataka Animal Welfare Board (KAWB) escalated the matter formally. In a letter dated September 10, 2026, the board stated it had received reports alleging that stray dogs were being caught and illegally operated upon at the facility. KAWB has directed the Karnataka Veterinary Council to:
- Take appropriate action against those found responsible
- Conduct an urgent inspection of Primecare Vet Hospital
- Submit a formal action-taken report following its investigation
This regulatory push adds an additional layer of institutional accountability to the case, moving the matter beyond a purely criminal investigation and into the professional oversight structures that govern veterinary practice and licensing in Karnataka.
Why This Case Has Struck Such a Nerve
What makes this case particularly disturbing to animal welfare advocates isn’t simply the alleged cruelty itself, but the specific nature of the betrayal involved. A veterinary clinic exists, fundamentally, to relieve animal suffering. The allegation here is the inverse: that healthy, uninjured street dogs were allegedly brought in and deliberately harmed, specifically so that surgical skills could be practised on the resulting injuries.
If substantiated, this would represent a direct violation of the ethical and professional standards expected of licensed veterinary practitioners, alongside likely violations of India’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which governs standards of animal treatment and the legal consequences for cruelty offences.
The Broader Questions This Case Raises
Beyond the specific facts of this incident, the case has reignited a broader conversation within Bengaluru’s animal welfare community about oversight gaps in how private veterinary facilities operate, and how veterinary students receive hands-on surgical training. Several concerns have emerged directly from this case:
- Facility licensing and oversight — questions over how a facility allegedly lacking proper permissions to house animals or conduct procedures was able to operate for an extended period without detection
- Veterinary student supervision — concerns about what oversight structures exist, or don’t exist, when postgraduate students gain hands-on surgical experience, and whether current systems adequately prevent this kind of alleged misuse
- Stray animal vulnerability — the case underscores how community dogs, lacking an owner to advocate on their behalf, remain particularly vulnerable to exploitation in settings where documentation and accountability are already weak
- Reporting and detection gaps — the fact that this case only came to light through activist-gathered video evidence, rather than routine regulatory inspection, raises questions about how many similar situations might otherwise go undetected
What Happens Next
With the FIR registered and two individuals booked, the investigation now moves into its next phase. Police will need to establish the full facts of what occurred at the facility, working alongside the Karnataka Veterinary Council’s own inspection and action-taken report. Animal welfare organisations, including the CJ Memorial Trust, have signalled they intend to continue pushing for a “larger investigation,” suggesting this case may extend beyond the immediate facility and individuals currently named.
For the animals rescued from the premises, the immediate priority remains their medical treatment and recovery, with the twelve dogs and the cat requiring individual assessment and care following whatever they experienced at the facility.
Why This Story Matters
This case sits at the intersection of several issues India’s animal welfare system continues to grapple with: weak enforcement of existing cruelty laws, gaps in veterinary facility licensing and oversight, and the particular vulnerability of stray animals who have no owner to notice when something has gone wrong. The fact that this case came to light at all is largely credited to the persistence of animal welfare activists who gathered evidence and pushed authorities to act.
As the investigation continues and the Karnataka Veterinary Council conducts its own inspection, this case is likely to remain a closely watched test of how seriously Karnataka’s regulatory and law enforcement systems treat allegations of professional misconduct and cruelty within the veterinary field itself.
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