The Puppy Who Lived: Thrown From Rooftop, Bhadra Returns Stronger

Bhadra was thrown from the rooftop of a building by two medical students in Chennai.

When Karthik Dhandapani had decided to look after Bhadra last year, the 5-month-old puppy was still reeling from a traumatic incident she had experienced some time ago.

Bhadra was thrown down from the rooftop of a building by two medical students in Chennai.

But a fighter that Bhadra is, she not just survived, but has also grown into a healthy and happy dog.

"When we had got her, she was very co-operative during her treatment the whole time. She is happy and healthy now," says Karthik.

A Blue Cross volunteer, Karthik had been asked by Antony Rubin and Shravan Krishnan, two animal rights activist who had rescued Bhadra, to look after the injured puppy for a few months till she recovered.

After two months, Karthik decided to adopt Bhadra and give her a permanent home, even though his mother was initially a little apprehensive of keeping a pet.

We had seen dogs at other people’s homes, but never had one at our place. We had no problems adjusting to her and it is in fact my mother who looks after Bhadra completely now. From feeding her to taking care of her other needs.

Karthik

Bhadra just devours chapatis made by his mother.

"She loves bread as well, but chapati is her favourite," says Karthik.

An FIR was registered against the two medical students – Ashish Paul and Gautam Sudarshan – under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act 1960 and Sections 428 and 429 of the IPC last year after the incident came to light.

Antony, who is currently fighting the case in court, is hoping that Bhadra's attackers get the punishment they deserve at the earliest.

We filed some RTIs and found that the two medical students had admitted to the crime, but there has been no follow up. Even the chargesheet was only filed in March. The case can’t be forgotten just because it is not under the glare of the media. The veterinary report had clearly stated that the dog had grievous injuries. This should attract punishment under IPC 428 and 429. We are hoping the matter will come up for hearing this month in court

Antony Rubin, Animal Activist

Jennifer Jacob Murali Anand, Founder of Chennai Adoption Drive, is another person who has been instrumental in Bhadra's rescue and in fighting his case.

Sharavan still clearly remembers the day he found an injured and terribly scared Bhadra.

"We found the boys who flung her off the terrace through social media. I initially assumed that she must have died from the fall. Who would have thought that a dog can survive after being dropped three storeys? But on talking to people in the locality and police, we came to know that she was still alive. We found her two weeks after the incident," he said.

The case garnered a lot of media attention and people from across the world had come forward to adopt Bhadra.

(This story was first published on The News Minute)