A video allegedly showing MPKK enforcement workers torturing a dog during an operation at the Taman Tiram housing area in Kulim went viral on social media last month, with several parties urging that the incident be investigated.

The lawyer representing the NGOs, Rajesh Nagarajan, told an online press conference today that the group was also seeking a declaration that the cruelty inflicted upon the animal prior to its death, and that the administration of lethal injection by the officers, had breached the Animal Welfare Act 2015.

“Even though the declaration by itself doesn’t punish the wrongdoer, it will clarify the law and prevent other city councils from doing this,” Rajesh said.

The group is also seeking a declaration that MPKK’s failure to ensure reasonable care and supervision relating to the protection of the stray dog breached the Animal Welfare Act 2015.

MPKK and the Kedah state government have been listed as the first and second defendants respectively.

Kedah police chief Kamarul Zaman Mamat previously said two reports had been lodged over the act, with an investigation paper opened under Section 428 of the Penal Code for committing mischief by killing, poisoning or maiming an animal.

Anyone found guilty can be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both.