Pune: A deeply disturbing incident of animal cruelty has come to light in Manjari, Pune, where an 8-month-old dog named Lalia was burned alive in a shocking act of brutality.

Padmini Stump, an animal rights activist and founder of 'Advocate for Saving Dogs' has reported this incident on her social media accounts.

According to the post by Stump, Lalia had been abandoned by his former owners on a farm when they introduced a new dog.

Having no means to fend for himself, the young dog frequently returned to the farm, the only place he had ever known as home, only to be chased away by the caretaker, who allegedly tried to keep him at bay with stones and blows.

Nagma, an animal lover and feeder in the area, noticed Lalia’s distress and began caring for him, providing him food regularly.

On October 25 (Friday), at around 10 a.m., the former caretaker allegedly lured Lalia and struck him hard in the face, causing the injured dog to flee in pain.

Later, around noon, the former caretaker reportedly offered Lalia food again, only to strike him multiple times with a bamboo stick. Severely wounded, Lalia was then dragged to a nearby ditch, where he was covered in plastic bags and doused with kerosene or petrol before being set on fire, Stump has claimed in her post.

Later in the day, Nagma went searching for Lalia to give him his meal, as she did each day, only to discover he was missing from his usual spot.

After being informed by locals of the horrific events, she rushed to the site, finding Lalia’s partially burned body. Heartbroken by the cruel end of a once-cheerful dog, she was faced with the grim reality of his fate.

Lalia’s life had been cut short in a premeditated act of violence, sparking outrage among those who care for the protection and rights of animals.