IIT-Madras student stabs three over stray dog's death

A first-year student at IIT-Madras, Archan Bhattacharya, from Sonarpur near Kolkata, was arrested on Saturday for allegedly stabbing and grievously injuring a neighbour of a family friend, along with the neighbour's wife and son. The attack was reportedly in retaliation for the killing of a stray dog, according to Monotosh Chakraborty in a TOI report.

Archan, who travelled from Chennai, has been charged with multiple offences, including attempted murder. The injured family members are receiving treatment at MR Bangur Hospital in Kolkata.

Investigators revealed that the dispute arose between the families of Gobindo Adhikari and Subhash Debnath, who have been long-time neighbours in the Chouhati area of Sonarpur. The conflict centred around the Debnath family's practice of feeding stray dogs, which the Adhikari family claimed led to the animals entering their house. In May, the Adhikaris allegedly beat one of the stray dogs, which succumbed to its injuries a few days later.


An officer stated, "When Smriti Debnath told Archan about the dog's death, he decided to come and avenge the attack and the harassment of the Debnath family." Police reported that Archan confessed to being enraged upon hearing that the neighbours had beaten the dog to death.

Inputs from TOI