A day after a 90-year old man died after being attacked by a group of stray dogs at his residence at Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram, locals went on a reckless killing spree by beating 27 strays to death on Thursday.

The deceased was sitting on the verandah of his house on Wednesday morning when he was attacked by five stray dogs. The raging locals led by Janaseva Shishubhavan chief Jose Maveli went on a calculated rampage against the strays who -they believe- now pose a grave threat to humans.

The police have confirmed that the stray dogs were indeed beaten to death.

“We reached the spot by 10 am, but by then they had already done the deed. We have registered cases against Jose Maveli and a few others in this regard,” says the sub-inspector at the Varkala police station, while speaking to The News Minute.

When the police team tried to take Jose Maveli into custody, the residents formed a human shield around him, reiterating that they were the ones who had invited him. 

The residents asserted that they would hold a protest in front of the police station - with the dead dogs in tow- if Maveli was arrested. They asked the police to take them too into custody in that case.

Surrounded by a group of residents -including men and women- Jose Maveli was heard telling journalists: "I came here on the request of the residents. I am innocent. I have done nothing wrong, and these people will not allow me to be arrested.”

The residents went on to justify the cruel act, saying they were forced to take the drastic step of killing the dogs, as people were not safe even in their own homes. 

They also did not forget to direct their ire against Maneka Gandhi -Union Minister for Women and Child Development. 

"Stray dogs are not dangerous creatures for ministers like her who travel in air-conditioned cars. It is the common man who ends up facing this threat on a daily basis," angry residents claimed.