"After Pathak killed Shakti, a case was registered against him but he was later released. The reason was simple- the dead was an animal and not a human"
#JusticeForShaktiTheCat and #ArrestJyotiPathakTheCatMurderer are two hashtag campaigns launched by a few animal lovers in Assam, demanding justice for Shakti-the cat, who was brutally murdered in Guwahati on September 21.
According to information available, the cat was hit several times with an iron rod by one Jyoti Pathak, who owns a shop (Pathak Stores) in Juripar area of the city.
The cat was badly injured and she was rushed to a vet clinic, where she fought for life for two days and then succumbed to her injuries on September 23.
Angered by such an inhumanly act, various animal lovers from across Assam have come together seeking justice for the dead animal.
"So what if she was just a cat? She was a living soul and no one has the right to take the living right away from her," said Suranjan Kapinjal, an animal lover.
"After Pathak killed Shakti, a case was registered against him but he was later released. The reason was simple- the dead was an animal and not a human," he added.
"This is pure injustice to Shakti," he further said.
"We want justice for Shakti and many other poor animals like her who can't fend for themselves," he added.
"I personally want to see the culprit arrested and put behind bars," he added.
"We urge every netizen across the globe to join us and tweet as much as they can using the two hashtags tomorrow from 7 am 9 pm," he added.
"We want to create a nationwide, worldwide twitter storm seeking justice for Shakti," he further said.
"Every life matters and we should not be moved only by the murder or death of celebrities," he said while wrapping up.
A similar campaign was also launched when Avni-the tigress was shot dead in Maharashtra in 2018.
This, however, is the first time that campaigns like these have been launched in Assam.
#JusticeForShaktiTheCat and #ArrestJyotiPathakTheCatMurderer will certainly open the doors for several such campaigns in the future.
The Story Mug, a Guwahati-based blogzine, believes in telling stories that matter.