In a shocking incident, a dog that had reportedly harmed seven persons was beaten to death by an unidentified cop of Jammu and Kashmir Police in Kishtwar town, a video of which went viral prompting the police to order an inquiry.

"Departmental inquiry has already been initiated to identify the cop who was spotted in the video beating the dog and action as warranted under law shall be taken," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kishtwar Shafqat Bhat told International Business Times. He said that a senior officer has been directed to conduct the inquiry.

Dog beaten to death by cop in J&K's Kishtwar; draws strong reactions [watch viral video]

Video of cop beating dog goes viral

The incident came to the fore when a disturbing video went viral on social media. Animal lovers shared the video on different social media platforms, demanding action against the culprits.

In the video, a cop was seen beating the dog with a stick in the heart of Kishtwar town. A civilian was also spotted in the video sprinkling some liquid on the dog, which fell unconscious after being beaten by the cop.

Although an inquiry has been ordered, all accused including the cop are yet to be identified. The offence amounts cruelty on animal as defined under Section 11 of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. It is a cognizable offence under Section 428 and Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code.

As the disturbing video went viral, netizens demanded action against the erring persons including the cop for this brutality.

"This video is of Kishtwar wherein a police officer has beaten a dog to death. Please take immediate action. Lodge an FIR, arrest him & suspend him. You can't save animals how will you save humans," Pragati Khanna, tweeted while sharing the video.

"Duniya ko bejubano ke julm se bachata apni vardi ke taraf vafadar police wala Angry facePouting face Video is of Kishtwar ....one police man killed dog.if anyone have full information kindly inform", another animal lover Madhu Chanda tweeted.

Harsh Jaroli, another netizen tweeted, "Hoping appropriate action must be taken against this cruelty!!".

Dog bites seven persons including two kids

As per reports, before being brutally killed by a cop and some civilians, the stray dog had reportedly struck terror among the residents of Kishtwar after it went on a mad rampage and bit seven persons including two children.

Reports said fear-stricken residents were chasing the mad dog with sticks and stones before being killed by a cop and other civilians.