The police have launched an investigation into the ‘deaths’ of 30 ornamental pigeons reared by an 11-year-old boy at Maruthorvattom in Kanjikuzhy grama panchayat in Alappuzha district in Kerala.
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The birds, belonging to Christy Devasiya, a class 6 student of Pratheeksha Bhavan English Medium School, were allegedly killed by miscreants. The incident occurred on June 3.
"The pigeons were my best friends for the past two years. I used to play with them all day. I painstakingly collected the birds from various places with the help of my parents. Those who did this gruesome act should be punished," says Christy.
The dead pigeons consisted of Bokhara Trumpeter, Modena, Hungarian Mix among other varieties.
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The incident came to light recently. Devasiya Benny, Christy’s father, said the family lodged the police complaint only two days ago as they were in quarantine.
"The birds were found dead on the morning of June 3 when my wife, Minimol, went to feed them. At the time, I was in a hospital with my father who had tested positive for COVID-19. My father passed away a few days after and we all went into quarantine. Two of our children were also diagnosed with the disease. After the incident, my son started to show signs of depression and he stopped eating. After learning about the incident, members of Seva Bharathi who provided us food during the quarantine period asked us to file a police complaint," Mr. Benny said.
Act of revenge: RSS
Seva Bharathi is associated with Sangh Parivar. Abhilash Maruthorvattom, shakha karyavah, RSS, said the pigeons were killed by CPI(M) activists in an act of revenge.
"Devasiya's is a CPI(M) family. But the party turned their back in the time of their trouble. After knowing their plight, they were taken care of by the members of Seva Bharathi. The killing of birds is a warning to the party members against associating with other parties and ideologies," Mr. Maruthorvattom said.
Mr. Benny, however, said he didn't believe the theory that the CPI(M) was behind the killing of pigeons. "My wife is a CPI (M) activist. It is a fact that the party did not provide us necessary assistance when we were in quarantine. My wife also expressed her displeasure over the lack of support from the CPI(M). But it doesn't mean the party was behind the killings. She expressed her feelings a couple of days ago, while the incident happened a few weeks ago. Let the police investigate and find the culprits. We are not blaming anyone," he said.
Vijayan N., circle inspector, Muhamma, said a detailed probe was on into the incident. "We have registered a case based on the complaint. The preliminary investigation has not revealed any political angle to the death of pigeons. The police are probing all angles," said Mr. Vijayan.