Four municipal staff have been suspended in connection with the killing of at least 20 stray dogs in Siddipet district, officials said Wednesday.
A sanitation inspector and three others were placed under suspension pending inquiry, after the district administration got it confirmed that certain municipal staff were "involved" in the incident of killing of few dogs on Saturday, they said.
It is suspected that the dogs were culled using poisonous injections. However, it is under investigation, they said.
"As per information nearly 20 dogs were killed. The municipal staff (involved in this incident), were supposed to catch the stray dogs and release them outside the city," Siddipet Municipal Commissioner P Srinivas Reddy.
Refuting reports that the orders to inject dogs with poison were given by him, Reddy termed it "baseless and wrong."