In a bizarre incident, an Indian politician attended a public hearing in Madhya Pradesh’s Khandwa with a man wearing a dog mask. People said it was his way of protesting against alleged irregularities in the municipal corporation’s dog sterilisation drive. The politician has been identified as Khandwa Municipal Corporation Leader of Opposition Deepak (Mullu) Rathore.
The incident went viral on social media, prompting the civic body to give an assurance that a committee would be formed to investigate the matter and take appropriate action.
How The Protest Unfolded
According to reports, as the politician arrived at the police station, he was stopped by a constable, leading to a brief argument. However, officials inside the hall instructed the police to allow them to enter.
Rathore first raised the issue with officials of the municipal corporation and then submitted a complaint citing figures on the rising number of stray dogs and dog-bite cases in the city. Rathore said that 13,225 people had been bitten by dogs in Khandwa over the past four years. He also alleged that more than Rs 40 lakh had been spent during the same period in the name of sterilising dogs, despite the stray population continuing to increase.
मध्य प्रदेश : खंडवा में आवारा कुत्तों के आतंक से त्रस्त एक व्यक्ति कुत्ते का कॉस्ट्यूम पहनकर ही कलक्ट्रेट में पहुंच गया !! pic.twitter.com/5AK2SXkW3e
— Sachin Gupta (@Sachingupta) August 19, 2026
“Very Educated And Intelligent”: Rathore Introduces The Masked ‘Dog’
With an aim to escalate the issue, Rathore brought along a person wearing a dog mask. Introducing the person as a ‘dog’, he claimed that the ‘dog’ had undergone sterilisation but had still become the father of six puppies. He said the matter should be investigated, and added that if the complaint was not heard, the ‘dog’ would file a defamation case against the municipal corporation over the alleged corruption carried out in its name.
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Rathore also described the masked ‘dog’ as “very educated and intelligent.” In the video, Rathore is seen seated alongside the masked man while Additional Collector Kashiram Badole heard the complaint. After hearing him out, Kashiram Badole reportedly assured Deepak Rathore that a committee would be formed and appropriate action would be taken.