A disturbing incident of mass animal cruelty has emerged in Telangana, where approximately 500 stray dogs were illegally culled using lethal injections across the Kamareddy and Hanamkonda districts. Reports indicate that these killings were allegedly orchestrated by local elected representatives, including sarpanches, to fulfill promises made to villagers during recent gram panchayat elections to address the stray dog menace. Animal welfare activist Adulapuram Goutham lodged a complaint on January 12, alleging systematic killings in villages like Bhavanipet, Palwancha, Faridpet, Wadi, and Bandarameshwarapally in Kamareddy district, where around 200 dogs were reportedly killed. This followed an earlier incident in Hanamkonda district, where about 300 dogs were allegedly poisoned in Shayampet and Arepally villages. Police have registered multiple First Information Reports (FIRs) against a total of 15 individuals, including several sarpanches and those hired to carry out the killings, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The carcasses were found buried on the outskirts of villages, and veterinary teams later exhumed them for post-mortem examinations, with viscera samples sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory to determine the exact cause of death and the substances used. This incident has provoked widespread outrage among animal rights activists and the public, highlighting the illegal nature of such culling and the failure to implement humane animal birth control measures mandated by law.