Kochouseph Chittilappilly threatens to sue Maneka Gandhi

Kochi: Anti-stray dog campaigner and businessman Kochouseph Chittilappilly on Monday said he will file a case against Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi saying personnel from her office had intimidated him against going ahead with his campaign.

Speaking after ending his 24-hour fast demanding swift government action against stray dogs in Kochi, Mr Chittilappilly said he had all the proof about the threatening calls he received from the minister’s office. He also said Ms Gandhi was behind the ‘Boycott Kerala Tourism’ campaign which went viral on the social media.

Severely criticising director-general of police T P Senkumar on the stand he has taken against killing of strays, Mr Chittilappilly said the police chief was going against the decision of the State cabinet.

“The cabinet has decided that dogs that pose a danger to human lives can be killed,” he said, adding that he would also oppose the government spending a lot of money for rehabilitating street dogs. He said he had set up a centre for the dogs at Koovappadi on Kochi’s outskirts but the so-called animal lovers destroyed it.

He said the Stray Dog Free Movement will organize fasts in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode in which 10 people each will participate in 45 days.

“We have decided that we shall kill at least three dogs in a panchayat if anyone is attacked there,” he said.

Mr Chittilappilly ended his fast at 10 am sipping lime juice his wife Sheela Kochouseph offered him. Cardiologist Dr Jose Chacko Periyappuram and more than 100 people attended the function.