TN: Medical Students who threw dog off the roof suspended

Chennai: Gowtham Sudarshan and Ashish Pal, two medical students, who had filmed themselves, throwing a dog off the rooftop of a building have been suspended from Madha Medical college here, where they were studying medicine in their final year.

The incident, where Sudarshan was recorded by his friend Pal flinging the dog from the terrace of a building here, caught attention of all, after the shocking video went viral. The act drew outrage on social media, animal welfare activists lodged a complaint with the police, which booked them for cruel treatment meted out to an animal under Indian Penal Code's (IPC) sections 428 and 429 and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (Sec 11 (1-a).

The duo were arrested yesterday but later released on bail.

The incident had drawn strong condemnation from Animal rights group PETA, which hit out at two medical students and sought their expulsion from their medical institution.

"It is despicable that people would get their kicks from filming themselves throwing a dog off a roof," PETA India CEO Poorva Joshipura said in a statement.

Persons showing such a "shocking" lack of regard for life should be not allowed to practice medicine, she said, adding, "The students should be expelled".

The group also took up the demand of the expulsion of the two students -- Gowtham Sudarshan and Ashish Pal, with the authorities of their college.

"Acts of cruelty to animals like this one are indicative of a deep mental disturbance. Research in psychology and criminology shows that people who commit acts of cruelty to animals often don't just stop there, many of them move on to hurting other animals, children, women or other people," Bhuvaneshwari Gupta, Associate Manager of Campaigns, PETA, said in a letter to the management of the private institution.

Urging the institute to expel these students if found guilty, the letter said medical students are supposed to help, not hurt, others.

"Anyone who is able to commit a heinous act like this cannot be trusted to become a doctor," Gupta said.

Meanwhile the dog has luckily survived and was taken to a veterinary hospital. "It has suffered fractures in its front and rear legs. It is being treated."

"It is nothing short of a miracle that the dog survived," he added.