Sitapur (Uttar Pradesh), Jun 22 (IANS): A man has been booked for cruelty to animals in Sitapur district, three days after a video of the man thrashing a dog went viral on the social media.

The accused, Ramesh Verma, was seen thrashing a dog in CCTV footage, leaving it with a fractured leg.

Verna has now been arrested.

Animal rights activists from Sitapur approached BJP MP Maneka Gandhi and local police that lodged a case.

In the FIR, activist Meraj Ahmad said that his acquaintance Tanvir in Gwalmandi told him about the incident.

According to Tanvir, Verma daily thrashes cows, dogs or cats without reason and sometimes kills them too.

"On the morning of June 18, the accused was seen hitting a dog with a stick and breaking its legs. Locals somehow rescued the dog and took it to the hospital," said Meraj Ahmad in his FIR.

"We informed BJP MP Maneka Gandhi about the issue. She directly contacted SHO Kotwali for registering the FIR," he told reporters.

SHO Kotwali T.P. Singh said that an FIR was lodged under charges of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act on Monday.

"We are checking CCTV footage and will act further as per laws," he said.

The dog is safe and undergoing treatment at a veterinary hospital, the officer added.