The conflict between the dog lovers and the IIT Madras administration is not new. While the former have been accusing the latter of rehoming strays and confiscating them inside makeshift shelters, the latter defends their part about how they have been taking steps to prevent dog-wildlife conflict on campus.
However, the animal lovers have now raised concerns over the canines kept inside an allegedly unstable shelter that may not withstand the cyclone Nivar. An alumna, Tryphena Dudley has written to the institute's director and registrar, stating the same. "As there is a cyclone expected in Chennai, I request you to kindly release the dogs as the current enclosure will not be strong enough to protect the dogs. If the dogs are released, they will find shelter in their original places," reads her email.
Even though Tryphena says that she is yet to receive a response, she shared a screenshot of an email that was sent to the faculty, by a professor, quoting her email, where the dog lovers are called offensive names. "They are exerting continued pressure on the admin. They want all the dogs to be released from the shelter, thereby annulling all the efforts we have put in over the last several months," reads an email by a professor from the Department of Biotechnology. While Tryphena says that she is thinking of filing a harassment case citing the email, the professor did not answer the phone calls made to him.
