Actor Manjari Fadnis, widely recognised for her role in Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, appeared emotional in a video as she claimed that Mikey, a community dog from her housing society, was savagely beaten and killed. In tears, she appealed for justice for the animal and called on authorities to enforce tougher laws against animal cruelty.
Manjari breaks down
On Monday, Manjari posted a video on Instagram in which she appears in tears while speaking about the community dog in her housing complex. In the clip, she explains that Mikey was abandoned by his family and has been living in their society since around 2019 or 2020.
She said that Mikey was missing and that local residents had been searching for him, explaining that they created posters, displayed them throughout the neighborhood, and continually spoke with security guards and other people to learn what had happened to him and where he might have gone.
In the video, she explained, "I wish I had never had to make this video, but I believe it’s really important." She described Mikey as "a very gentle dog" and noted that residents had been tirelessly looking for him. Fadnis then stated that a member of the housing society admitted that Mikey had been resting quietly near one of the basement areas when he was struck on the head with a stick or an iron rod.
In the video, Manjari is heard saying, “We had a dog named Mikey, who had been abandoned by his previous family and has been part of our community since 2019. He was a very gentle dog. Recently, he went missing. All of us were extremely worried and tried to find him. We made posters, put them up everywhere, and searched for him tirelessly. And today, at last, someone from here came forward and admitted what happened someone who knows the people responsible.”
Manjari stated that a person with knowledge of what happened to Mikey had come forward and provided information about the alleged assault. "He told us that Mikey was sleeping quietly in one of the basement areas of our building when he was struck on the head. He became extremely disoriented. They dragged him to the staircase area and continued to beat him until he was bleeding from the mouth and lost control of his bladder and bowels. When he was barely alive, they put him into a sack and threw him into the creek area behind," she said.
Now, the actor mentioned that they have no clue whether the dog survived or not, saying. “We are trying to search for his body right now. He’s gone."
In the video, she also called on the Supreme Court to impose tough measures against animal cruelty, pointing out that individuals with "criminal minds" currently feel secure using illegal means to get rid of dogs they dislike.Along with the video, Manjari wrote as a caption, “Our Mikey was Brutally Murdered… & we are going to fight for him… This should never happen with ANY Dog Ever again in any Society anywhere! People should be SCARED to hurt an animal! We NEED Stronger laws against Animal Cruelty!”
“Thankuuu @xavierbernardsantiago for standing with us strongly in our fight to bring Justice for Mikey. Thankuuu Senior Police Inspector Mr. Shailendra Nagarkar, we r soo grateful for your help. Thankuuu Sanket Kadam for fearlessly bravely fighting for his cause & Thankuuu to all our Mikey lovers from our society who have been tirelessly standing strongly with us in this fight. @ranjanakent @keshavdhanraj @marciajd @mamatomessiboy @neha.singh05.05 @gaiti.siddiqui & many more,” she added, with hashtags: #JusticeForMikey, #animalcruelty, #notolerance, #zerotolerance and #thesupremecourtofindia.
Celebrities come out to support
Several public figures, among them Bhumi Pednekar and Dhanashree Verma, expressed deep sorrow and anger over the incident, aligning themselves with demands for justice and more stringent measures against animal cruelty. Bhumi wrote, “I am extremely sorry, this is truly heartbreaking (heart breaking emoji). Justice for Mike! @mumbaipolice,” while Ridhima Pandit commented, “I am deeply sorry, my dear Manjari… hearing this and seeing you in such a state is incredibly painful and makes me feel utterly helpless. I HATE INDIAN LAWS FOR DOGS… I really wish something could change. Thank you, @xavierbernardsantiago, for being there.”
Dhanashree wrote, “This is terrible. I’m so sorry … please share the details of those individuals; they must not escape accountability for this cruel act. Standing with you, @manjarifadnis.”Meenakshi Seshadri also wrote, “Dear Manjari So sorry to hear of this appalling act. The perpetrators should be brought to justice.”
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court declined to alter its November 2025 order requiring the removal of stray dogs from institutional premises, including schools, hospitals, sports complexes, railway stations, and bus depots, and further held that these dogs cannot be returned to these areas even after sterilisation.